NEW ORLEANS – For the second year in a row, the Ursinus College women's track and field team has been awarded All-Academic Team honors by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Additionally, recent graduate Catherine Buczek earned individual All-Academic recognition. To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.30 and either competed in an NCAA indoor or outdoor championship or finished the regular season ranked in the nation's top 50 in an individual event.
The Bears were one of 185 Division III women's programs to earn the accolade, given to teams that achieve at least a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average for the 2017-18 academic year.
Ursinus excelled in the classroom this season, posting a 3.34 team GPA. Additionally, 2018 graduate Lily Talerman; rising seniors Caroline Buckley, Morgan Cope, Riley Engel, Brittany Gasser, Elizabeth Iobst, Gabrielle Manto, and Audrey Simpson; and rising junior Charley Darkes-Burkey were all named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll.
The latest honor caps an outstanding senior campaign for Buczek, who also earned All-Mideast Region laurels from the USTFCCCA for the second year in a row. Buczek nabbed outdoor all-region recognition in the 400-meter hurdles for the second year in a row. The Bears' co-captain registered a top time of 1:02.97, easily outpacing the rest of the field at the CC championship as she became the first in program history to win gold in the event. It was the second career individual medal for Buczek, who took silver at last year's outdoor meet.