Two collect individual All-Academic awards
USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Women's Track & Field All-Academic Teams
USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Women's Track & Field All-Academic Athletes
EASTON, Mass. (July 23, 2020)– The Stonehill College women's track & field team has been recognized as a 2020 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II All-Academic Team, as announced by the organization. In addition, two Stonehill student-athletes earned individual All-Academic awards from USTFCCCA.
In order to qualify for All-Academic Team awards, a squad must post a cumulative team grade point average of 3.00 or higher. Stonehill, which registered a 3.42 team GPA, was among 149 women's teams and 114 men's teams in Division II to earn All-Academic Team status. The highest GPA of 3.716 was represented by Cal State San Bernardino. Stonehill matched averages with Western Oregon University and Mount Olive College, as eight teams represented the Northeast-10 Conference on the women's side and seven on the men's side.
Individually, senior Madison Ward and freshmen Haley Lightbody both collected their first All-Academic Awards from USTFCCCA. To be eligible for this honor, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher and have reached a provisional or automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA Championships in either indoor or outdoor seasons.
Ward |
Ward, who graduated with a two degrees, one in Marketing and the other in French, wrapped up her career this past year with multiple awards. Ward cleared a personal best mark of 5 feet, 6 inches in the high jump at the 2020 NE10 Indoor Track & Field Championships, putting her 30th on the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships provisional list. Throughout her four years in the Purple & White, Ward bypassed the NCAA provisional mark four times, three times during indoor seasons and once during the outdoor season last year. As a junior she was selected for her first appearance in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where she competed in Kingsville, Texas and finished 13th out of 22 competitors.
The recent graduate owns both the indoor and outdoor school records in the high jump. Her indoor personal best is 5 feet, 6 inches, which she reached this winter at the NE10 Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center and her indoor personal best is 5 feet, 7.75 inches which she accomplished in May 2019 at the NE10 Outdoor Championships, held at Southern New Hampshire University. Overall, she earned six NE10 All-Conference honors, seven USTFCCCA All-East Region honors, and two All-New England honors. The Holliston, Massachusetts native was part of the French Club for three years and the Marketing Management Association. She interned at Stonehill's Career Development Center and at Talbots, as she studied abroad in the fall of 2018 in Paris, France.
Lightbody |
Lightbody, who is majoring in biology, qualified for her first NCAA Championship after clearing the provisional mark in the pole vault with a personal best mark of 11 feet, 9.75 inches, which she cleared at the NE10 Indoor Track & Field Championships, putting her 62nd on the list. As a freshman, she was named NE10 Rookie of the Week three times and she also competed in the long jump for the Skyhawks as she saw a personal best mark of 17 feet, 6.25 inches finishing fifth at the NE10 Championship. At the NE10 Championship, she took home first place for her first-career title and her first NE10 All-Conference honor. Later in the year, she was named to the USTFCCCA All-East Region team for the first time as well.
The Stonehill women's cross country and track & field programs saw another strong year, as they earned their 18th NE10 Cross Country Championship for 11th-straight, and seventh-straight NE10 Indoor Track & Field Championship. The women have now won 14-straight Championships with cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field. Over the past 20 NE10 Championships, the Stonehill women have won 19 of them. During the cross country season, the team earned its 20th-straight appearance at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, after they earned their 16th NCAA Division II East Region Championship.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
