Nicholson, Strachan, and White Named USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes

NEW ORLEANS - The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) announced today the list of All-Academic Athletes. Temple track and field athletes Laura Nicholson, Tannekee Strachan, and Marissa White were all named to the list.

All three student-athletes were named to the list after completing terrific seasons which saw all qualify for the NCAA East Regional in Bloomington, Ind.

Nicholson, a junior from Cork, Ireland, took two silver medals at the AAC Outdoor Championships in the 800m and 1500m runs. Earlier in the season at the Virginia Challenge, she ran to a personal-best in the 800m with a time of 2:09.13.

Strachan leaped to a historic year as she broke the indoor and outdoor school records for the triple jump with a mark of 12.93m at the Columbia Challenge and a 12.98m at the Virginia Challenge, respectively. At the AAC Outdoor Championships, she took the bronze medal in the triple jump with a wind-assisted jump of 13.09m.

White qualified for the NCAA East Regional after sprinting to a personal-best time of 53.84 in the 400m dash to take first-place at the Virginia Challenge. Later on at the Penn Relays, White was a member of the sprint medly relay team that broke the outdoor school record.

The criteria to be named an All-Academic athlete included:

Minimum CUMULATIVE grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, certifiable by either NCAA Faculty Rep or NCAA Compliance Coordinator or Registrar's Office. Institutions utilizing a different GPA scale must convert the GPA to a 4.0 scale using the standard conversion method [GPA/Scale x 4.0].
Must have completed at least two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters at the nominating institution.
Athletic criteria for the award:
- For the indoor season: must have finished the season ranked in the top 96 in any championship individual event, or in the top 48 in any championship relay event, for the most recent indoor season, certifiable by their place on final season performance lists on TFRRS for Indoor Track and Field (including performances achieved outside the qualifying window during the indoor season).
- For the outdoor season: must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships (the Preliminary Championship Competition and/or the Final Championship Competition) or for the multi-events, must have finished the season ranked in the top 48 in the East or top 48 in the West for the most recent outdoor season, certifiable by their place on the NCAA Division I

Overall, there were more than 800 athletes who were named All-Academic Athletes in NCAA Division I Women's Track & Field.