Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's Track and Field Places 12 on Academic All-MAC Team
5/31/2017 11:51:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
The Green and White continue finding success both athletically and academically
MAC Release
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - 12 members of the Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team received Academic All-Mid-American Conference honors, the league office announced today, May 31.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.
Earning the honor for Eastern was: senior Anna Aldrich (Fremont, Ind. - Fremont), senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia - Lyceum #83), junior Rebekah Branham (Circleville, Ohio - Circleville), junior Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. - Chippewa Valley), junior Dace Dreimane (Ventspils, Latvia - Ventspils Gymnasium No. 1), senior Sofie Gallein (Gits, Belgium - University of Leuven), sophomore Jessica Harris (Slidell, La. - Slidell), junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. - Davison), junior Claire Mesa (Rockford, Ill. - Rockford Lutheran), sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. - Zionsville Community), junior Lauren Pottschmidt (Granger, Ind. - Penn), and senior Natalie Uy (Kettering, Ohio - Fairmont).
Aldrich regularly competed in distance events for the Green and White throughout the outdoor season. The Fremont, Ind. native, who holds a 3.93 grade point average in nursing, finished seventh at the MAC Outdoor Championships, May 11-13, in the 10000m, where she clocked in at 36:03.55, which was a career-best. She also posted a personal-best time of 17:00.88 in the 5000m at the Tennessee Relays, April 6-8.
Bogdanova is in the midst of another excellent season for the Eagles, as she qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships next week, June 7-10, in the 5000m. Bogdanova, who maintains a 3.84 GPA in individualized studies, was named the MAC Championship MVP after winning the 5000m and claiming second in both the 1500m and the 3000m steeplechase at the conference championships. The season saw the Kazan, Russia native secure career-best times of 15:54.94 in the 5000m and 10:11.49 in the 3000m steeplechase.
Branham was a regular for Eastern in the 800m during the outdoor season. She finished the year with a season-best 800m time of 2:12.15, which occurred at the Jesse Owens Classic, April 21-22, which was good for eighth-place. She also took second in the 800m at the Gina Relays after clocking in at 2:13.88. Branham currently holds a 3.73 GPA in sport management.
Cizmas, a junior with a 3.65 GPA in exercise science, also took part in mid-distance events on multiple occasions. Her season-best 800m time of 2:13.89 came at the Gina Relays, which was good for third, while she also posted a season-best 1500m time of 4:31.45 at the Jesse Owens Classic. At the MAC Championships, Cizmas claimed 13th in the 800m prelims after crossing the finish line in 2:14.57.
Dreimane, who holds a 3.44 GPA in computer science, qualified to last week's NCAA East Regional, May 25-27, where she tallied a 25th-place finish in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 12.70 meters/ 41 feet 8-inches. She also secured third in the triple jump at the MAC Championships, in addition to also claiming fifth in the long jump and seventh in the high jump.
Gallein had a very strong end of the season, running away with a third-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase at the MAC Championships with a season-best time of 10:25.31. In fact, she would have qualified to the NCAA East Regional, but did not attend the meet due to traveling back home to Belgium. The senior currently holds a perfect 4.00 GPA in communication.
Harris, a sophomore with a 3.27 GPA while studying computer science, competed in both the 100m and 200m throughout the season. In fact, she set career-bests in both events, with her personal-best 100m time of 11.60 seconds coming at the MAC Championships to finish fourth. Additionally, her career-best 200m time of 24.22 occured at the conference championships as well.
McDermitt, like Bogdanova, will be attending the NCAA Championships next week, as she earned a spot in the 10000m. The junior, who has a 3.97 GPA in exercise science, claimed ninth in the 10000m at the NCAA East Regional after clocking in at 33:53.46, while her career-best time of 33:37.37 came at the Stanford Invite, March 31 - April 1. She also turned in a pair of top-three finishes at the MAC Championships, winning the 10000m and taking third in the 5000m.
Mesa took part in mid-distance events throughout the outdoor season. The junior with a 3.36 GPA in communication, qualified into the finals of the 800m at the MAC Championships, ultimately finishing ninth in 2:13.86. Her career-best time came in the prelims of the conference championships, where she crossed the finish line in 2:12.56.
Meyers, a rising distance runner with a 3.87 GPA in marketing, also qualified to the NCAA East Regional. There, she took 37th in the 1500m with a time of 4:32.00, while she also took fourth in the 1500m and sixth in the 5000m at the MAC Championships. The outdoor season saw her post career-best times of 4:23.48 in the 1500m and 16:27.28 in the 5000m.
Pottschmidt, who maintains a 3.45 GPA in business administration, also took part in distance events this outdoor season. She turned in a career-best performance in the 3000m steeplechase at the Gina Relays, where she took second in a personal-best time of 11:33.62. Pottschmidt also took fifth in the 3000m steeple at the Ball State Challenge, April 14-15.
Finally, Uy capped off her EMU career last week at the NCAA East Regional as well, finishing 31st with a pole vault mark of 3.95 meters/ 12 feet 11.5-inches. The senior, who has a 3.91 GPA in communication, took third in the pole vault at the MAC Championships, while her season-best vault of 4.00 meters/ 13 feet 1.5-inches, came at the Toledo Invite, May 4-5.
Next week, Bogdanova and McDermitt will compete at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. McDermitt will compete first, taking part in the 10000m finals on Thursday, June 8, at 7:08 p.m. Pacific Time, while Bogdanova comeptes in the 5000m finals on Saturday, June 10, at 5:25 p.m. Pacific Time.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - 12 members of the Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team received Academic All-Mid-American Conference honors, the league office announced today, May 31.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.
Earning the honor for Eastern was: senior Anna Aldrich (Fremont, Ind. - Fremont), senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia - Lyceum #83), junior Rebekah Branham (Circleville, Ohio - Circleville), junior Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. - Chippewa Valley), junior Dace Dreimane (Ventspils, Latvia - Ventspils Gymnasium No. 1), senior Sofie Gallein (Gits, Belgium - University of Leuven), sophomore Jessica Harris (Slidell, La. - Slidell), junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. - Davison), junior Claire Mesa (Rockford, Ill. - Rockford Lutheran), sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. - Zionsville Community), junior Lauren Pottschmidt (Granger, Ind. - Penn), and senior Natalie Uy (Kettering, Ohio - Fairmont).
Aldrich regularly competed in distance events for the Green and White throughout the outdoor season. The Fremont, Ind. native, who holds a 3.93 grade point average in nursing, finished seventh at the MAC Outdoor Championships, May 11-13, in the 10000m, where she clocked in at 36:03.55, which was a career-best. She also posted a personal-best time of 17:00.88 in the 5000m at the Tennessee Relays, April 6-8.
Bogdanova is in the midst of another excellent season for the Eagles, as she qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships next week, June 7-10, in the 5000m. Bogdanova, who maintains a 3.84 GPA in individualized studies, was named the MAC Championship MVP after winning the 5000m and claiming second in both the 1500m and the 3000m steeplechase at the conference championships. The season saw the Kazan, Russia native secure career-best times of 15:54.94 in the 5000m and 10:11.49 in the 3000m steeplechase.
Branham was a regular for Eastern in the 800m during the outdoor season. She finished the year with a season-best 800m time of 2:12.15, which occurred at the Jesse Owens Classic, April 21-22, which was good for eighth-place. She also took second in the 800m at the Gina Relays after clocking in at 2:13.88. Branham currently holds a 3.73 GPA in sport management.
Cizmas, a junior with a 3.65 GPA in exercise science, also took part in mid-distance events on multiple occasions. Her season-best 800m time of 2:13.89 came at the Gina Relays, which was good for third, while she also posted a season-best 1500m time of 4:31.45 at the Jesse Owens Classic. At the MAC Championships, Cizmas claimed 13th in the 800m prelims after crossing the finish line in 2:14.57.
Dreimane, who holds a 3.44 GPA in computer science, qualified to last week's NCAA East Regional, May 25-27, where she tallied a 25th-place finish in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 12.70 meters/ 41 feet 8-inches. She also secured third in the triple jump at the MAC Championships, in addition to also claiming fifth in the long jump and seventh in the high jump.
Gallein had a very strong end of the season, running away with a third-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase at the MAC Championships with a season-best time of 10:25.31. In fact, she would have qualified to the NCAA East Regional, but did not attend the meet due to traveling back home to Belgium. The senior currently holds a perfect 4.00 GPA in communication.
Harris, a sophomore with a 3.27 GPA while studying computer science, competed in both the 100m and 200m throughout the season. In fact, she set career-bests in both events, with her personal-best 100m time of 11.60 seconds coming at the MAC Championships to finish fourth. Additionally, her career-best 200m time of 24.22 occured at the conference championships as well.
McDermitt, like Bogdanova, will be attending the NCAA Championships next week, as she earned a spot in the 10000m. The junior, who has a 3.97 GPA in exercise science, claimed ninth in the 10000m at the NCAA East Regional after clocking in at 33:53.46, while her career-best time of 33:37.37 came at the Stanford Invite, March 31 - April 1. She also turned in a pair of top-three finishes at the MAC Championships, winning the 10000m and taking third in the 5000m.
Mesa took part in mid-distance events throughout the outdoor season. The junior with a 3.36 GPA in communication, qualified into the finals of the 800m at the MAC Championships, ultimately finishing ninth in 2:13.86. Her career-best time came in the prelims of the conference championships, where she crossed the finish line in 2:12.56.
Meyers, a rising distance runner with a 3.87 GPA in marketing, also qualified to the NCAA East Regional. There, she took 37th in the 1500m with a time of 4:32.00, while she also took fourth in the 1500m and sixth in the 5000m at the MAC Championships. The outdoor season saw her post career-best times of 4:23.48 in the 1500m and 16:27.28 in the 5000m.
Pottschmidt, who maintains a 3.45 GPA in business administration, also took part in distance events this outdoor season. She turned in a career-best performance in the 3000m steeplechase at the Gina Relays, where she took second in a personal-best time of 11:33.62. Pottschmidt also took fifth in the 3000m steeple at the Ball State Challenge, April 14-15.
Finally, Uy capped off her EMU career last week at the NCAA East Regional as well, finishing 31st with a pole vault mark of 3.95 meters/ 12 feet 11.5-inches. The senior, who has a 3.91 GPA in communication, took third in the pole vault at the MAC Championships, while her season-best vault of 4.00 meters/ 13 feet 1.5-inches, came at the Toledo Invite, May 4-5.
Next week, Bogdanova and McDermitt will compete at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. McDermitt will compete first, taking part in the 10000m finals on Thursday, June 8, at 7:08 p.m. Pacific Time, while Bogdanova comeptes in the 5000m finals on Saturday, June 10, at 5:25 p.m. Pacific Time.
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