For the Hillsdale College men's and women's track and field teams, excellence isn't a mindset that only applies in the field of competition.
The Chargers hold themselves to high standards in the classroom, too, and on both the men's and women's sides they met the mark once again in the 2020-21 school year.
Both squads earned 2020-21 USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, continuing a long streak of winning the award, with nine individual athletes – two men and seven women – receiving special recognition as well.
In order to receive the All-Academic distinction from the USTFCCCA, programs must have an average cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher across all athletes in the program.
The Charger men were well above that bar with a 3.31 GPA in 2020-21, and the women also easily exceeded the standard with a 3.44 GPA last year.
As mentioned above, Hillsdale also was well represented among USTFCCCA individual All-Academic honorees.
In order to receive All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA, an individual must hold a 3.25 or better cumulative GPA at the school they attend and have achieved an automatic or provisional qualifying mark for a 2020 NCAA Track and Field Championship meet during the season.
On the men's side, graduated senior Ian Brown and freshman Jamahl Burke each earned recognition from the USTFCCA.
A hurdler and history major for the Chargers, Brown set a new outdoor school record and posted a NCAA DII provisional qualifying time in the 100m hurdles (14.21), while Burke, a freshman sprinter who's undeclared, earned a provisional time in the indoor 400m dash (48.06) as well as in the 4x400 relay (3:14.98) for Hillsdale.
It's the second-straight season Brown earned an All-Academic honor from the USTFCCCA, while for Burke it could be the first of many in his career.
On the women's side, seven earned recognition for the Chargers.
Senior Kajsa Johansson, a sprinter and financial management major, earned her first career All-Academic honors in a season where she captured the indoor national title in the 200m dash, set three new Charger school records and posted seven provisional qualifying times (indoor 60m dash, 7.58; indoor 200m dash, 23.89; indoor 4x400m relay, 3:47.83; outdoor 100m dash, 11.47; outdoor 200m dash, 23.60; outdoor 4x100m relay, 46.71; outdoor 4x400m relay, 3:47.08).
Also joining Johansson in receiving All-Academic honors were relay teammates Shura Ermakov, an undeclared freshman who ran legs on the provisionally qualifying indoor and outdoor 4x400m relays, and junior Alanna O'Leary, an exercise major who was a part of both the indoor and outdoor 4x400m relays and was on the 4x100m relay as well.
The Charger distance crew was well-represented as well. Senior Maryssa Depies, a biology major, earned All-Academic honors and ran provisional qualifying times in four events – the indoor mile (4:54.40), the indoor 3,000m run (9:46.28), the indoor distance medley relay (11:58.19) and the outdoor 5,000m run (16:43.16).
Along with Depies, junior Claire McNally, a biochemistry major, earned All-Academic honors with a provisional qualifying time in the 5,000m run (17:18.67) and sophomore Margaret Scheske, a philosophy and religion major, also was recognized thanks to strong grades and a provisional qualifying mark in the 3,000m steeplechase (10:39.04). Senior Calli Townsend, an exercise science major, also earned recognition, with her provisional qualifying time coming in the distance medley relay alongside Depies.
The All-Academic honor is O'Leary's second from the USTFCCCA after also earning recognition in 2019-20, while Hillsdale's other six female honorees are all first-time winners of the award.