All-Academic Individuals & Scholar Athletes of the Year – 2018 NCAA DII Women’s Track & Field

NEW ORLEANS – Alicja Konieczek of Western State, Caroline Kurgat of Alaska Anchorage and Kami Norton of Angelo State were named the Women’s Scholar Athletes of the Year in NCAA Division II Track & Field on Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Combining their accomplishments in the classroom and in competition during the recently completed academic year, these three women were the most exceptional among a group of 405 female athletes who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.

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 athletes who won individual NCAA titles ranked higher in the tie-breaking process and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final advantage.

Separate awards are given to track athletes and field athletes for the indoor and outdoor seasons, hence the four categories.

Konieczek took home the indoor track honors while Kurgat collected the award for track outdoors. Norton became the first Division II field athlete to sweep her respective category during a year as she won both the indoor and outdoor field awards. The last Division II track athlete to sweep indoor and outdoor honors was Carly Muscaro of Merrimack in 2017.

Konieczek, a redshirt junior majoring in exercise science, recorded a 3.86 cumulative GPA to win the Women’s Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year. The Zbaszyn, Poland native won both the mile (4:48.33) and the 3000-meter race (9:29.39) at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in March. She also helped her DMR team to first place (11:19.98) at the same meet.

She is the first athlete from Western State to be honored as a Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Norton, a senior studying kinesiology, posted a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA to collect the Women’s Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. The Albany, Texas native won the pentathlon with a total of 3983 points at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Norton posted the top marks in the competition in the shot put and 60 hurdles. She also recorded strong marks in the long jump, 800 and high jump. Outside the pentathlon, she earned First-Team All-America honors in the long jump with an eighth-place finish.

She is the first athlete from Angelo State to be honored as a Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Kurgat, a senior nursing and medical lab technologies major, finished with a cumulative GPA of 3.52 to win the Women’s Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year. She won both the 5000 (16:22.62) and 10,000 (34:13.80) at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in late May.

Kurgat is the first athlete from Alaska Anchorage to get selected as the Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Norton followed up her strong indoor campaign with another national title during the outdoor season. She won the heptathlon with 5366 points at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Again, Norton was the first athlete from Angelo State to be honored as a Scholar Athlete of the Year as she recorded a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA.

All-Academic Individuals

Including the Scholar Athletes of the Year, a total of 405 women earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors during the 2017-18 track & field seasons.

To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, student-athletes 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.

Grand Valley State led all schools with 19 honorees. 26 athletes finished with a GPA of 4.0 or higher.