The three Wildcats honored were junior Skylar Grubb of Milford, who is majoring in zoology; sophomore Gianna Hoving of Ypsilanti, who is majoring in elementary education; and sophomore Madi Szymanski of Alpena, who is majoring in nursing.

To qualify for a USTFCCCA All-Academic award, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top 30% of their respective NCAA regional championship meet, along with several other criteria.

The NMU team as a whole qualified for the same USTFCCCA All-Academic team honor by having a cumulative 3.0 GPA, including the most recent grading period, and compile a team score at its NCAA regional championship meet, along with several other criteria.

Under head coach Jenny Ryan, the Wildcats finished with a 3.74 GPA as a team, earning their spot on the prestigious list and placing them inside the top 10 in the region. Last fall, Northern finished with its best regional finish in six seasons, placing ninth of 32 at its NCAA regional championship.

Madi Szymanski

Szymanski made it to the NCAA Championships national finals, finishing in 21 minutes, 6.2 seconds for 65th place in a field of more than 260 runners. It was a memorable season for the sophomore, as she earned All-GLIAC honors after finishing eighth at the conference event and followed it up with All-Region recognition with a 12th-place finish in the Midwest regional finals.

Hoving placed 45th at the regional, while Grubb was not far behind in 58th. Both placed in the top 30 at the GLIAC Championships.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

Skylar Grubb

Gianna Hoving