CHICAGO, Ill. -- Senior sprinter Elise Ruud and the North Park University women's track & field team have been named to the 2019-20 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III All-Academic Team, according to a release by the organization Thursday. The Vikings carried a team grade point average (GPA) of 3.4785.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and finished the indoor 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. A total of 659 women and 452 men earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors in 2019-20.
Ruud, a business management major, posted a 3.502 GPA while breaking numerous records as a Viking sprinter. The Stjordal, Norway native holds the North Park University school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.92. She earned a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles 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.
