Four Skyhawks collect individual All-Academic accolades

EASTON, Mass. (February 10, 2017) – The Stonehill College women's cross country team has earned All-Academic honors for the 2016 season from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while five Skyhawks collected individual All-Academic accolades.

Seniors Aisha McAdams (North Kingston, Rhode Island/North Kingston) and Alexandra Buonfiglio (Lynnfield, Massachusetts/Lynnfield), sophomore Elizabeth Hannon (Franklin, Massachusetts/Bishop Feehan), freshmen Anna Lastra (Bridgton, Maine/Fryeburg Academy) and Danika Wayss (Warwick, R.I./Pilgrim) were recognized for posting a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher while also finishing among the top-30 percent of total eligible runners at the regional championship or in the top half of the field at the NCAA Championships.

Stonehill was among 137 women's NCAA Division II teams to earn All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA. To qualify for this award, programs must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and scored at their NCAA regional meet. The Skyhawks captured their eighth-consecutive Northeast-10 Conference Championship in late October, before grabbing their fourteenth East Region Championship and capping the 2016 season with their 17^th-consecutive appearance at the NCAA DII Championships. Academically, Stonehill registered a 3.38 cumulative GPA through the fall semester.

McAdams earned her fourth-consecutive USTFCCCA All-Academic honor this year after posting a 15th-place mark at both the NE10 Championship and the East Regional Championship. McAdams has also earned NE10 Academic All-Conference honors in 2015 for the first time in her career in addition to being named the Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award recipient for women's cross country. She helped lead the Skyhawks to a eighth straight NE10 Championship and 14th NCAA East Regional title to advance to the NCAA Division II Championships for the 17th straight year. McAdams has been named to the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Rolls all seven semesters at the College.

McAdams has also earned NE10 All-Conference first, second and third team throughout her four years of collegiate running. Along with finishing in the top-15 of two championship meets, she also ran a time of 23:04.4 at the NCAA Division II Championship placing 165^th. She also earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-East Region honors for the third time.

Buonfiglio has received USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the second time. This season, she recorded four top-15 finishes, earning her 5k-best mark at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational with fifth place and a time of 18:20.74. She also earned her career-best time in the 6k at the East Region Championship with a time of 22:09.4 placing 11^th.

The Lynnfield, Massachusetts native has earned NE10 All-Conference honors for three out of her four-year career, earning first team two years in a row. Similarly, she was named to the All-East Region team for three-straight years. The senior has also been named to the NE10 Commissioner's honor roll for seven semesters and the Athletic Director's honor roll for four semesters.

Hannon, who also made a great impact on another successful year for the Skyhawks, has picked up her second USTFCCCA All-Academic honor. The sophomore finished in the top-20 in three of the meets this year, recording 11^th at the New England Championships with a time of 19:03.5. Hannon was able to run in her second NCAA Championship as a Skyhawk finishing 177^th with a time of 23:13.4 in the 6k race. 

The Franklin, Massachusetts native earned All-East Region team and NE10 All-Conference second team for the second time this year. She has also been named to the NE10 Commissioner's honor roll for her first semester and the Athletic Director's honor roll for the first semester, also.

Freshman Lastra, who earned All-East Region team honors and NE10 All-Conference second team honors. She placed in the top 25 of five meets this year, including her best time of 18:41.02 in the 5k race at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational and 22:14.5 in the 6k race at the East Regional Championship, placing 13^th. The freshman also ran in her first NCAA Championship meet, posting a time of 22:24.6, good for 108^th, and the second Skyhawk to cross the finish. Lastra was also placed on the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for the fall semester.

Rounding out the USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the Skyhawks was also Wayss. She made a tremendous impact running her first colligiate races as she placed fifth overall at the Skyhawk Invitational with a time of 19:19.6, where she would top her five-kilometer time at the National Catholic Championship with a time of 18:59.2 crossing the finish line 19th. She later finished the NE10 Championship with a 14th-place mark and a time of 22:56.9 and 19th at the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship with a time of 22:23.9, good for her fourth top-10 mark of the year. The Warwick, R.I. native finished her rookie season earning NE10 Rookie of the Year, NE10 All-Conference second team and NCAA Division II All-East Region team. 

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