USTFCCCA All-Americans
NEW ORLEANS -- North Park University track & field athletes Elise Ruud and Jose Barrio have been named 2020 NCAA Division III U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Americans, as the organization released its selections on Tuesday afternoon.
Ruud, the Vikings' record-breaking sprinter, holds the North Park University school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.92. The Stjordal, Norway native earned a first-place finish in the event at the Red Hawk Opener, a second-place finish at the Windy City Rumble and Margaret Bradley Invitational, and third-place finishes at the Olivet Nazarene Invite and College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Indoor Championships.
Barrio excelled as a heptathlon competitor, showcasing a second-place finish in the event at the Windy City Rumble this past season. The Santander, Spain native totaled 4,498 points in the heptathlon on the campus of U-Chicago, good for second-best in program history. Halfway through the indoor season, Barrio ranked first in the CCIW and 19th in Division III track & field in the event.
Normal policies dictate that All-America honors are awarded to student-athletes who score any portion of a team point (top-eight in the final of an individual event or as a member of a top-eight placing relay event) at the NCAA Championships.
In lieu of conduction of the national championship this season, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA Division III Executive Committee adopted the following criteria:
- Based on the selected participants for the national championships initially announced by the NCAA on Sunday, March 8, the following will be recognized as All-America for the 2020 Indoor Track & Field season:
- Individual events: ALL student-athletes declared and initially accepted into their event.
- Relay events: Members of ALL relays who produced the performance that was declared and initially accepted into their event.
