NEW ORLEANS, La.  – The Northern Michigan University Track and Field team has been named a U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2022 All-Academic Team, the organization announced. Senior Izabelle Peterson and freshman Crystal Walker also earned individual all-academic honors. 

The Wildcats held a GPA of 3.48 to earn the honor. In total, more than 100 NCAA Division II teams and over 400 individuals were honored for the 2022 season. Counting NMU, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) had seven total teams named All-Academic.

To be named an All-Academic team, all student-athletes on the team must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Transfer and graduate students can only include grades earned at the institution that nominated them.

The following criteria must be met to earn individual all-academic honors:

• Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale through the end of the semester of competition.
• Must have completed at least 24 semester hours/36 quarter hours through the end of the semester of competition at the institution.
• Transfer students and/or graduate students are to include only grades earned at the current nominating institution.
• The student-athlete must have achieved an automatic-or provisional qualifying mark (individual or relay event) for either the indoor season or outdoor season.

Izabelle Peterson (Biology) hit the 200m dash provisional mark during the indoor season with a time of 24.79 at the GLIAC Championships. Peterson earned a pair of podium finishes at the GLIAC Championships, taking 2nd place in the 60m dash with a time of 7.69 and third in the 200m dash with a time of 24.79. During the outdoor season, Peterson took 2nd place in the 100m dash at 12.08 and 4th place in the 200m dash finishing at 24.59 at the GLIAC Championships.

Crystal Walker (Business Analytics) hit a provisional mark in the 60m hurdles during the indoor season with a school-record time of 8.72 at the GVSU Big Meet. At the Indoor GLIAC Championships, she was named the freshman field athlete of the meet as she took 3rd in the pentathlon, 5th in the 60m hurdles, and 6th in the long jump. Walker also hit the mark in the 100m hurdles during the outdoor season with a school-record time of 13.91 at the GLIAC Championships, as she went on to win that event and take second in the long jump.

For the full USTFCCCA release, click HERE.