Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals
USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams

July 16, 2024 - The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has recognized the North Central College women's track & field team for its success in both athletics and academics, awarding the Cardinals the Team Academic Award for the 18th consecutive season and naming 10 student-athletes to the individual All-Academic list.
 
The Cardinals earn the honor after posting a team grade-point average of 3.496, the second-highest in their history. To be eligible for the award, institutions must be USTFCCCA members and compile a team GPA of 3.10 or better. A total of 217 NCAA Division III women's programs made the list this season, including College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) rivals Augustana College, Carroll University, Carthage College, Elmhurst University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Millikin University, North Park University and Wheaton College.
 
The Cardinals' individual award winners include a six-time honoree in thrower Alexandra Draves, while pole vaulter Natalie Johnson, multi-event athlete Hannah Jones, and sprinter Lindsey Novak are recognized for the third time. Pole vaulter Gwen Berenyi and sprinters Marcedes Jackson, Kyla Miller and Cali Minkie make the list for the second straight year while sprinter/long jumper Katelyn McCann and middle-distance runner Cire' Smith are first-time honorees. To qualify for All-Academic individual honors, student-athletes must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.30 and rank among the top 50 nationally in an individual event or the top 35 in a relay event.

Draves, an MBA student, placed second in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Outdoor Championship in the hammer throw and finished the regular season ranked eighth nationally with a personal-best distance of 180 feet, one inch (54.89 meters) which ranks third in the program's history. Draves qualified for the Division III Outdoor Championship in the hammer for the fourth straight year, placing 19th overall, and has been North Central's indoor record holder in the 20-pound weight throw since 2020.

Johnson, a health science major, placed second in the pole vault at the CCIW Indoor Championship before winning the event at the CCIW Outdoor Championship to claim a second individual conference title. Johnson ranks sixth in the Cardinals' history in the pole vault indoors (12'4", 3.76m) and eighth outdoors (12'1.50", 3.70m).

Jones, a biology major, placed second in the pentathlon, fifth in the 800-meter run and seventh in the 60-meter hurdles at the CCIW Indoor Championship before earning Second Team All-America honors with a 16th-place effort in the pentathlon at the Division III Indoor Championship. Jones established a program record in the javelin throw (144'2", 43.95m) in winning the javelin throw at the CCIW Outdoor Championship while also winning the 400-meter hurdles and finishing third in the heptathlon. Jones placed 14th in the javelin at the Division III Outdoor Championship, again claiming Second Team All-America accolades. Jones ranks second in the Cardinals' history in the javelin and pentathlon (3,330) and third in the heptathlon (4,288).

Novak, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in pyschology and is now pursuing a doctorate degree in physical therapy, won the 200- and 400-meter dashes and 4x400-meter relay while placing fifth in the 60 and was voted Track Athlete of the Meet at the CCIW Indoor Championship before placing 18th in the 200 at the indoor national championship. Novak won the 200, 400 and 4x100- and 4x400 relays at the CCIW Outdoor Championship, again earning Track Athlete of the Meet honors. Novak closed the season by placing seventh in the 400 and ninth in the 200 and 12th in the 4x100-meter relay, claiming All-America awards in each event, and is the program's record holder in the 200-meter dash indoors (25.00) and outdoors (24.23).

Berenyi (business management) won the pole vault at the CCIW Indoor Championship and placed second outdoors before collecting All-America honors for the first time with an eighth-place finish at the outdoor national championship. She now ranks fifth in program history in the event indoors (3.75m, 12'3.50") and outdoors (3.81m, 12'6"). Jackson (MBA student) and Miller (exercise science) teamed with Novak on the Cardinals' CCIW champion and All-American 4x100-meter relay. Jackson also won the CCIW title and established a new North Central varsity record in the 100-meter dash (11.77). Minkie (sociology) and Smith (marketing/sport management) ran on North Central's conference-champion 4-by-400-meter relay teams indoors and outdoors, while Smith also won an individual conference title indoors in the 800-meter run. McCann (elementary education) ranked 27th nationally indoors in the long jump with a mark of 5.58 meters (18'4.25") which ranks fourth in North Central's history and posted an outdoor mark of 17'10.25" (5.44m) which ranks eighth all-time.

A total of 619 Division III student-athletes from 172 institutions made the list, including 29 from the CCIW.
 
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