The Kalamazoo College women's cross country team had three individuals selected to the College Sports Communicators Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-District Team, as announced on Wednesday (May 31). The student-athletes selected were Paige Anderson, Annalise Bailey, and Alison Hankins.
To be selected for the award, the student-athlete must be a starter or an important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA, have played at least 50% of their team's competitions, and be at least a sophomore academically and athletically.
Anderson was consistently the fastest runner for the Hornets all season, improving her personal-best time from a 23:22 6k last season to a 22:05 6k this season. That time came in the MIAA Championships, where she placed seventh place overall and earned All-MIAA First Team honors. Then, Anderson turned around and ran a 22:08 at the NCAA DIII Great Lakes Regional, finishing 22nd and earning All-Region honors. As a sophomore and a USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete, Anderson is double majoring in biology (pre-med) and Spanish with a cumulative GPA of 3.89.
Bailey competed to be in the top five for scoring for the team this season and ran a personal-best 24:17 6k at the NCAA DIII Great Lakes Regional. That was a minute and 16-second improvement from her fastest race last season. Bailey has a 3.67 cumulative GPA and is majoring in biology (pre-healthcare).
Hankins came on strong in the back half of the season to be the Hornets' second-fastest runner behind Anderson. Her fastest 6k was 22:39 at the NCAA DIII Great Lakes Regional, finishing in 44th. She also came in 24th at the MIAA Championships with a time of 23:06. Also a USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete, the sophomore is majoring in business and has a cumulative GPA of 3.65.
Now that the three student-athletes have made the district team, they will move on to the CSC Academic All-American ballot, which will be announced in June.