Nine Vikings named to USTFCCCA All-Academic Team

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Nine Western Washington University Track & Field student-athletes have been named to the 2017 NCAA Division II U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team.

Bethany Drake (Sandy, OR) highlighted the list of WWU student-athletes to earn the academic award as she was named the Female Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second time in her career. Drake won the second NCAA II javelin title of her career, adding her 2014 national title to her extensive list of awards earned during her WWU career.

Scholar Athletes of the Year were selected as the highest finishing performers at the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships who achieved All-Academic status. Those who won individual championship titles ranked higher in the tie-breaking process and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final advantage. Drake graduated last June with a bachelor’s degree in art education, carrying a 3.87 cumulative grade point average. She walked again this June with a perfect 4.00 GPA while obtaining her Master in Teaching as she pursues a career as an art teacher. She was selected as a CoSIDA Academic All-American, the GNAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, became a three-time GNAC Academic All-Star and is a nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Including the Scholar Athletes of the Year, a total of 471 women and 301 men earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors during the 2016-17 track & field seasons.

To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and have reached a provisional or automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA Championships in either the indoor or outdoor seasons.

The WWU student-athletes that earned USTFCCCA All-Academic awards in 2016-17 include the following:

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