BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – An historic year for the WKU Track and Field program did not stop on the track as the Lady Toppers earned Scholar Team honors while four athletes were named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams.
The Lady Toppers, who won Sun Belt Conference Indoor and Outdoor titles in 2014, posted a team GPA of 3.07 to collect Scholar Team accolades for the second-straight season and third time in program history.
Individually, Katie Lever, Sandra Akachukwu and France Makabu on the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team while junior Cyrus Johnson represented the Hilltoppers on the men’s All-Academic Team.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met at least one of the following athletic standards:
- For the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org
- For the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
Lever was an NCAA East Regional qualifier in the 10,000-meter run and earned all-conference accolades during the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons as a sophomore. She stood out even more in the classroom, where she recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA in the 2013-14 academic year as a communication studies major. Of the 727 women to earn USTFCCCA All-Academic status, Lever was one of 38 athletes to post a perfect GPA.
Johnson was named to the All-Academic team for the second time in his career after accumulating a 3.40 GPA as a junior. In the field of competition, he qualified for the NCAA Regionals in both the high jump and triple jump while earning all-conference honors during the indoor season.
Akachukwu’s fantastic freshman season culminates with All-Academic honors as she finished her first academic year on The Hill with a 3.90 GPA as an exercise science major. She was named the Women’s Most Outstanding Freshman at the SBC Indoor Championships, set the school high jump record and was an all-conference honoree during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Akachukwu qualified for the NCAA East Regional in the long jump and 200-meter dash while also running the lead leg for WKU’s 4X100-meter relay that finished 19th at the NCAA Championships.
Makabu, a senior, was an NCAA Championship qualifier in the triple jump and recorded a 3.50 GPA in pursuit of her MBA. She finished 19th in the triple jump at the NCAA Championships to earn Honorable Mention All-American status and posted the second-longest jump in school history at 43-feet-3 inches (13.18m) during the regular season.
For more information on WKU Track and Field, follow the program on Twitter at @WKUTrackField or visit WKUSports.com.