Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University Track and Field team has been named a U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2024 All-Academic Team, the organization announced. Additionally, Leah Root, Madi Szymanski, Crystal Walker, and Ellyse Wolfrath were named All-Academic Athletes.

To qualify for this recognition, the cumulative team GPA for all student-athletes must be 3.0 or higher. The Wildcats achieved a GPA of 3.58, which was the 23rd highest team GPA in the country and the second best among GLIAC schools, following Wayne State with a GPA of 3.66.

The criteria to be named an NCAA Division II All-Academic Athlete include maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale through the end of the semester of competition. Institutions using different GPA scales must convert their GPAs to a 4.0 scale using the standard conversion method [GPA/Scale x 4.0]. This data must be certifiable by the institution's registrar.

Additionally, athletes must have completed at least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours through the end of the semester of competition at their institution. Transfer students and graduate students are required to include only grades earned at their current nominating institution. Furthermore, student-athletes must have achieved an automatic or provisional qualifying mark in either individual or relay events for either indoor or outdoor seasons.

Leah Root (Elementary Special Education), Madi Szymanski (Nursing), Crystal Walker (Business), and Ellyse Wolfrath (Nursing) were each honored individually for Northern Michigan University.

The full release from USTFCCCA can be found here.