Honors given to tracksters
Utah State’s women’s track team received the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Academic Award,
while six Aggies were named to the USTFCCCA Women’s All-Academic Track & Field Team.
The USTFCCCA honors individuals and teams for their academic and athletic accomplishments during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Seventy-five Division I women’s teams had cumulative grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher.
“One of the things we stress on the track & field team is academics, and this is further verification that the student-athletes are putting the emphasis on the student part of that title. They’re utilizing their opportunity that they are here to get an education,” USU head track & field coach Gregg Gensel said.
Utah State was one of three Western Athletic Conference teams honored, as the Aggies were joined by Hawai’i and Nevada. Utah State was one of two teams from the state of Utah, joined by Weber State.
Individually, six Aggies were named to the USTFCCCA Women’s All-Academic Track & Field Team. Sophomore pole vaulter Kathryn Duhadway (Logan, UT),
junior hurdler Amber Judd (Hyrum, UT), as well as distance runners, senior Kristen Guymon (Salt Lake City, UT), sophomore Stacie Lifferth (Layton, UT),
senior Tiffany Strickland (Orem, UT), and junior Jennifer Twitchell (Sandy, UT) earned recognition.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team, an athlete must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and must have met the NCAA
Division I regional or national qualifying standard in her event.
These honors add to the women’s track team’s award collection, as they received the USU Joe E. and Elma Whitesides Award for top academic team with more than 20 members earlier this spring. The Aggies also had 18 student-athletes receive Academic All-WAC recognition this spring as well.
2006 Division I USTFCCCA Women’s All-Academic Track & Field Team:
Kathryn Duhadway – SO – Pole Vault – Logan, UT
Kristen Guymon – SR – Distance – Salt Lake City, UT
Amber Judd – JR – Hurdles – Hyrum, UT
Stacie Lifferth – SO – Distance – Layton, UT
Tiffany Strickland – SR – Distance – Orem, UT
Jennifer Twitchell – JR – Distance – Sandy, UT