Women's Team, Five Individuals Earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors
7/28/2017 4:41:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- All-Academic awards for the 2017 track and field season were bestowed upon the University of Michigan women's team and five of its individuals on Friday (July 28) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Michigan's individual All-Academic honorees include (with academic major): Claire Borchers (international studies / Spanish), Erin Finn (biochemistry), Kira Garry (environmental health MPH), Aaron Howell (international studies / sociology) and Sarah Zieve (public policy).
This marks the sixth consecutive year the Wolverines have earned the team honor under head coach James Henry, and it is the sixth year in a row that five or more women have made the USTFCCCA's individual honors list. Including the Scholar Athletes of the Year, a total of 752 student-athletes from 191 different institutions earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for their combined academic and athletic accomplishments. Michigan was one of 218 women's teams around the nation recognized by the USTFCCCA.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 or better 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 NCAA POP 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).
Between the indoor and outdoor seasons, Finn has now earned the award in four consecutive years. Finn -- who last month was named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for women's track and field / cross country -- still has one year of eligibility remaining on the track.
During this past indoor season, Finn was the national runner-up over 5,000 meters -- becoming the first woman in college history to run 15:30 or faster in two NCAA Indoor Championships -- and was twice a third-place finisher at the Big Ten Championships. Though she missed the collegiate outdoor season, she broke her own school record over 10,000 meters in a sixth-place finish at the USATF Outdoor Championships.
Borchers and Zieve both earned the award for the second year in a row. They were second and fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Big Ten Championships, with Borchers going on to earn All-America honorable mention at the NCAA Championships in a 17th-place finish.
Howell was the Big Ten outdoor champion in the heptathlon, coming back from as far back as fourth place on day two to win the title. This is her first USTFCCCA All-Academic honor.
Garry was a 12th-place finisher in the Big Ten Indoor Championships 5,000-meter race and was ranked top-100 nationally in the mile.
Players Mentioned
