Seven Named USTFCCCA All-Academic; Princeton Named Scholar Squad

Photo by: Princeton Athletic Communications

Seven Named USTFCCCA All-Academic; Princeton Named Scholar Squad

August 02, 2017 | Women's Track and Field

Seven members of the Princeton women's track & field team have been named All-Academic it was announced by U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The team itself was also honored, earning UFTFCCCA All-Academic team accolades, after qualifying with a cumulative GPA of 3.453.

Jackie Berardo, Lizzie Bird, Katie Hanss, Anna Jurew, Ally Markovich, Julia Ratcliffe and Madeleine Sumner all earned individual All-Academic honors.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds), or for multi-events finished in the top 48 in the region.

Bird has earned the honors every single year she has been a student-athlete at Princeton. She was ranked 89th in the country in the indoor mile at 4:44.38 and qualified for the NCAA steeplechase for the fourth time in her career. She ran a best 10:09.04 in the steeplechase during 2017 and took 20th in the East Regional.

Like Bird, this is Ratcliffe's four consecutive honor earning the accolades every single season. Indoors she was 25th in the weight throw with a toss of 20.45 (67-1.25) as she won the Ivy Heps. Outdoors she advanced to her fourth hammer throw final in Oregon and took sixth place. Her best mark of the collegiate season was a 69.24, which won her her fourth Ivy Heps hammer title, and was the second best mark in the nation.

With her third academic honor, Hanss was 91st in the indoor mile at 4:44.40 and reached the semifinals of the 1500 at the East Regional. She clocked her second best time of the season in the semifinal to finish 19th. Hanss fastest time of the season was at the Larry Ellis Invitational, a PR of 4:19.68.

Markovich captured her second academic honor. She took 29th in the NCAA East 5k and posted a PR of 16:29.62 at the ECAC Championships.

Sophomores, Berardo and Jurew both qualified for the 800 at the East Regional. Berardo made the Regional with a PR of 2:07.46 at the Army West Point Twilight Meet but was unable to compete during the heat stage at the Regionals. Jurew, who also clocked a PR at Army West Point at 2:07.65, advanced to the semifinals at the Regional with a 2:08.52 but pulled up in the semifinal and did not finish.

A freshman, Sumner qualified for the Regional 1500 with a 4:22.90 and finished 44th overall in Lexington.