Women's Track and Field | July 24, 2019
NEW ORLEANS – The La Salle University men's and women's track & field and cross country programs have all been recognized with year-end academic awards from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the 2018-19 academic year. Individually,
Grace Mancini and
Nathan Gillis both received USTFCCCA All-Academic honors as well.
Men's cross country, which placed second at the Atlantic 10 Championships, earned the honor after posting a 3.31 cumulative GPA in the fall, while women's cross country, which took fourth at A-10's, put forth a cumulative GPA of 3.22. Women's track & field boasted a 3.23 cumulative GPA, and men's track & field notched a 3.11 GPA after both programs combined for nine titles this past year. The Explorers have received USTFCCCA All-Academic Team accolades every year since head coach
Tom Peterson took over.
Mancini, who tallied a 3.49 GPA as a computer science and mathematics major, collected All-Academic honors for both cross country and track & field after an extraordinary junior season in 2018-19. During the cross country season, she placed sixth at the A-10 Championships, qualified for the NCAA Championships after finishing second at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, and was named Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area. On the track, Mancini won the A-10 indoor title in the 3,000 meters and was named Academic All-Conference. She had an even better outdoor season, taking gold in the 5,000 meters and silver in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the A-10 Championships. Mancini also broke her own school record in the steeplechase while qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Gillis received All-Academic status for track & field as he put together a strong indoor season before redshirting outdoors. He won two gold medals at the A-10 Indoor Championships, taking the 1,000-meter title as well as helping the 4x800 meter relay team to a first place finish. Gillis set a new school record in the 800 meters and was named A-10 Track Performer of the Week after becoming the first Explorer to ever run the event in under 1:50.00. He also helped the Explorers finish second at the A-10 Cross Country Championships by placing 17th individually. In the classroom, Gillis notched a 3.28 GPA as a psychology major.
In order to be listed as an All-Academic Team by the USTFCCCA, a team must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic as an individual, a student-athlete must compile a cumulative GPA of 3.25. Furthermore, cross country student-athletes must finish in the top 25 at NCAA Regionals or as an All-American at NCAA Nationals, while track & field student-athletes must be ranked in the top 96 for indoor individual events or participate in any round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
