NEW ORLEANS – Both IUP outdoor track & field programs join standouts
Dan Gibney and
Kaylla Williams as All-Academic recipients by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), announced by the organization this week.
Teams were lauded with All-Academic honors if the cumulative GPA (not 2023-24 academic year, not semester) for all student-athletes on the institution's NCAA Squad List for indoor and/or outdoor track and field is a 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, certifiable by the institution's registrar.
The IUP women's program recorded a 3.47 GPA following 2023-24, while the men's program logged a 3.12 GPA.
Individually, Williams and Gibney add another honor in a stellar 2023-24 campaign for the duo. Criteria for NCAA DII All-Academic Athlete honors includes a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher upon the completion of the semester and achieving an automatic or provisional qualifying mark for either the indoor season or outdoor season.
Williams earned the 2024 PSAC Outdoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year award in mid-June, the first Freshman of the Year award in program history. The Harrisburg, Pa. native became the first female national qualifier for the Crimson Hawks since Lizzy Cunningham in 2017. Williams set an NCAA DII Provisional mark and school record in the javelin with a heave of 46.62m (152' 11") in April at the Bison Outdoor Classic.
That mark landed Williams USTFCCA All-Region honors (top five in region) and qualified her for the 2024 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships last May in Kansas. She notched 19th place in the national meet.
Gibney was one of six student-athletes from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) to earn College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® earlier this month. Gibney picked up USTFCCA All-Region honors during the 2024 outdoor track season in the 3000S and 10,000. He recorded a runner-up finish in the 3000S each of the past two seasons, earning all-conference laurels in the event in 2023 and 2024.
The 2024-25 indoor and outdoor track and field schedules will be available online at IUPathletics.com in the coming weeks.
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