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

NEW ORLEANS – Emily Richards of Ohio Northern, Katherine Pitman of Ithaca and Amelia Glueck of Illinois Wesleyan were named the Women’s Scholar Athletes of the Year in NCAA Division III 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 four men were the most exceptional among a group of 627 women who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.

Scholar Athletes of the Year were selected as the highest finishing performers at the NCAA Division III 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.

Richards earned both the indoor and outdoor track awards, while Pitman and Glueck split the field honors.

Richards, who graduated with a degree in Chemistry with a GPA of 3.94, was named the Women’s Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year. As a senior, Richards dominated at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Richards won NCAA titles in the 800 and mile, while also placing third in the 3000. She scored 26 of Ohio Northern’s 30 points as the team finished third in the team standings. Richards is the first athlete from Ohio Northern to be named Women’s Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Pitman, who graduated with a degree in Clinical Health Studies with a GPA of 3.65, repeated as Women’s Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. She made quick work of the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Championships as she won by clearing a bar of 4.28m (14-0½). Pitman is the first athlete to repeat as Women’s Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year since UW-La Crosse’s Bria Halama in 2014 and 2015.

Richards is the first to repeat as Women’s Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year since UW-Oshkosh’s Christy Cazzola in 2013 and 2014. It was a banner year for Richards as she captured both the 800- and 1500-meter crowns by nearly three seconds each in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Glueck, a senior who graduated with a degree in Health Promotion and Fitness Management with a GPA of 4.00, was named the Women’s Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. She won the long jump crown with a leap of 6.05m (19-10¼). This is the second time that Glueck was named the Women’s Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year (The first was in 2016), making her the first two-time recipient of the honor in award history.

All-Academic Individuals

Including the Scholar Athletes of the Year, a total of 627 women earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors during the 2017-18 track & field seasons.

To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.30 and must have met at least one of the following athletic standards:

• Competed in an NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship
• Finished the regular season ranked in the national top-50 in an individual event or ranked in the national top-35 in a relay event on the official NCAA Descending Order List.

There were 27 women who earned GPAs of 4.0 or better.