Contact: Adam Poklop, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

USTFCCCA Team Academic Awards
USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals

Jan. 30, 2020 – After drawing much praise for a successful 2019 campaign, the North Central College women's cross country team has now been honored for its efforts in the classroom by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) with the Team All-Academic Award for a 15th-straight year. 

Qualifying teams are required to have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.1 on a 4.0 scale through the most recent grading period and to have finished at least five runners at an NCAA Division III Regional Championship.  

The Cardinals compiled a 3.48 team grade-point average for the second-straight year and were honored as having the highest team GPA on campus earlier this week. The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) accounted for six of the 212 teams honored, with Augustana College, Carthage College, Elmhurst College, Illinois Wesleyan University and Wheaton College also recognized. 

Four Cardinals were also among the 386 Division III women to be honored as All-Academic Individuals: Dianne Barajas, Jenna Yakesh, Jenna Fiore and Julie Kupiec. Those recognized met the criteria of a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 and a finish among the top 25 percent of competitors at a regional championship. North Central and Wheaton led the CCIW with four individual selections each, while Elmhurst College had three and Augustana and Illinois Wesleyan both received one. 

Barajas, a graphic design major, closed a stellar career with a tremendous season. She earned four College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Athlete of the Week Awards during the regular season before becoming the program's first individual conference champion since 2011. Barajas finished 10th at the Midwest Regional Championships, qualifying her for the NCAA Division III National Championship where she finished 115th out of 280 competing athletes. 

Jenna Yakesh, an elementary education major, earned First Team-All CCIW honors alongside Barajas with a fifth-place finish at the 2019 CCIW Championships and received All-Region honors by placing 26th.

Jenna Fiore, a sophomore accounting major, secured fourteenth-place at the 2019 CCIW Championships, earning Second Team All-CCIW honors. She also competed at the Midwest Regional Championships, where she finished 41st among 257 athletes. Julie Kupiec, a psychology and Spanish double major, finished 28th and 45th at the conference and regional championship meets, respectively. 

North Central has now received a total of 37 All-Academic selections since the award's conception in 2004.

Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.