Eastern Michigan Athletics
Four Women's Cross Country Harriers Earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors
2/9/2017 12:39:00 PM | Women's XC
The quartet earned the honor for both athletic and academic success
USTFCCCA Individuals Release
USTFCCCA Teams Release
NEW ORLEANS, La. (EMUEagles.com) -- The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced today, Feb. 9, that four harriers of the Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
Earning the recognition for the Eagles were: senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia - Lyceum #83), redshirt sophomore Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. - Chippewa Valley), junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. - Davison), and sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. - Zionsville Community).
In order to qualify for the honor, athletes must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 and finish in the top-25 (or 10 percent) at regionals or as an All-American at the national meet.
Bogdanova took part in a total of seven meets throughout the year, including strong performances in the postseason. She took home the bronze at the Mid-American Conference Championships, clocking in at 20:59.3 to earn First Team All-MAC honors. She also turned in a top-20 performance at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, nabbing 18th in 20:30.2, giving her all-region honors for the second straight year. Additionally, she also secured 81st at the NCAA Championships, Nov. 19. Bogdanova, in her second year at EMU, has a 3.90 GPA in an individualized studies program.
Cizmas had a breakout season for the Green and White, bringing home a 70th-place finish at the NCAA Championships after clocking in at 20:41.1. She was also named an all-region honoree for her performance at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, finishing 14th in 20:23.8. At the MAC Championships, Cizmas brought home fourth-place, crossing the finish line in 21:10.4 to earn First-Team All-MAC honors. The redshirt sophomore currently holds a 3.63 GPA while studying exercise science.
McDermitt had a very strong season for the Eagles, finishing no worse than 24th in seven meets throughout the year. The junior earned All-American honors at the NCAA Championships after finsihing 24th in 20:14.6. She won the MAC individual title at the MAC Championships, clocking in at 20:34.0 to secure the title. She also brought home fifth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, posting a career-best time of 19:59.5 to nab all-region honors. McDermitt placed seventh on the national stage at the Notre Dame Invite, clocking in at 16:33.1. In total, the Davison, Mich. native was named MAC Runner of the Week a whopping four times this season. Not only is McDermitt successful on the course, but she also has a perfect 4.00 GPA in exercise science.
Meyers had a very strong sophomore season, running in eight meets, including the postseason. At the MAC Championships, she brought home a seventh-place finish in 21:11.7, while she took 25th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, in 20:39.9. Based on her performances, she was named First Team All-MAC and all-region. Meyers, who is in her second year studying marketing with a 3.81 GPA, also brought home a 45th-place finish at the Notre Dame Invite, crossing the finish line in 17:05.7.
In total, there were 265 athletes named USTFCCCA All-Academic, with 168 of them being women, while 97 were men.
Additionally, the team as a whole was also named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. The Eagles, who maintained an excellent team GPA of 3.68, were one of 242 women's teams to earn the honor, and one of 11 women's MAC teams.
USTFCCCA Teams Release
NEW ORLEANS, La. (EMUEagles.com) -- The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced today, Feb. 9, that four harriers of the Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
Earning the recognition for the Eagles were: senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia - Lyceum #83), redshirt sophomore Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. - Chippewa Valley), junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. - Davison), and sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. - Zionsville Community).
In order to qualify for the honor, athletes must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 and finish in the top-25 (or 10 percent) at regionals or as an All-American at the national meet.
Bogdanova took part in a total of seven meets throughout the year, including strong performances in the postseason. She took home the bronze at the Mid-American Conference Championships, clocking in at 20:59.3 to earn First Team All-MAC honors. She also turned in a top-20 performance at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, nabbing 18th in 20:30.2, giving her all-region honors for the second straight year. Additionally, she also secured 81st at the NCAA Championships, Nov. 19. Bogdanova, in her second year at EMU, has a 3.90 GPA in an individualized studies program.
Cizmas had a breakout season for the Green and White, bringing home a 70th-place finish at the NCAA Championships after clocking in at 20:41.1. She was also named an all-region honoree for her performance at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, finishing 14th in 20:23.8. At the MAC Championships, Cizmas brought home fourth-place, crossing the finish line in 21:10.4 to earn First-Team All-MAC honors. The redshirt sophomore currently holds a 3.63 GPA while studying exercise science.
McDermitt had a very strong season for the Eagles, finishing no worse than 24th in seven meets throughout the year. The junior earned All-American honors at the NCAA Championships after finsihing 24th in 20:14.6. She won the MAC individual title at the MAC Championships, clocking in at 20:34.0 to secure the title. She also brought home fifth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, posting a career-best time of 19:59.5 to nab all-region honors. McDermitt placed seventh on the national stage at the Notre Dame Invite, clocking in at 16:33.1. In total, the Davison, Mich. native was named MAC Runner of the Week a whopping four times this season. Not only is McDermitt successful on the course, but she also has a perfect 4.00 GPA in exercise science.
Meyers had a very strong sophomore season, running in eight meets, including the postseason. At the MAC Championships, she brought home a seventh-place finish in 21:11.7, while she took 25th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, in 20:39.9. Based on her performances, she was named First Team All-MAC and all-region. Meyers, who is in her second year studying marketing with a 3.81 GPA, also brought home a 45th-place finish at the Notre Dame Invite, crossing the finish line in 17:05.7.
In total, there were 265 athletes named USTFCCCA All-Academic, with 168 of them being women, while 97 were men.
Additionally, the team as a whole was also named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. The Eagles, who maintained an excellent team GPA of 3.68, were one of 242 women's teams to earn the honor, and one of 11 women's MAC teams.
Players Mentioned
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