New Orleans, LA --- Junior Christy Deininger (N. Attleboro, MA) along with sophomore classmates Amanda Caldarone (Danvers, MA), Brittany Hodgerney (Leicester, MA) and Alyssa Jasper (Rockland, MA) have been honored with US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Track and Field Team accolades.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and met either of the following academic standards: a student-athlete must have competed in the NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship or finished the regular season ranked in the top 35 in an individual event or in the top 25 collective relay events on the official NCAA POP listing.
Overall 363 female student-athletes from 123 institutions earned the prestigious honors. Among 19 New England schools, the Lancers were the only public school with four or more student-athletes for the sixth-most regionally. MIT led with 12, followed by Tufts (8), Williams (7) and inter-city rival WPI had six.
For the Lancers this marks the fourth consecutive season that at least one student-athlete has earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field laurels as Deinigner, Hodgerney and Jasper were recognized last season.
For their efforts on the field and in the classroom, Deininger and Jasper were both honored with Co-SIDA All-District I certificates at the end of May.
With a 3.16 grade point average, Worcester State was also recipient of a USTFCCCA Team Award for the first time in program history. The USTFCCCA honored 148 squads who had a semester grade point average of 3.10 GPA or better.
Deininger competed at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in the 100 meter hurdles and placed 14th with a school-record time of 14.46.
For the second-straight year, Hodgerney competed on the 4x100 relay team that finished the season at the Outdoor Championships. Deininger and Hodgerney were teammates on a relay that timed 12th overall (48.06).
Jasper put up the fourth-highest javelin entry in Division III with her program-standard toss of 147-4 (44.91 meters) at the New England Alliance Championships. She wrapped up her Outdoor Championships in 12th 131-3 (40.01m).
Caldarone did not compete at the NCAA's, but had a leap of 18-2.5 (5.55m) in the long jump for eighth place and a personal best at the ECAC Division III Championships.