NEW ORLEANS – Kristen Laaman, Carsyn Koch and Olivia Esbenshade, of Cedarville headlined the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic individuals within the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

The trio was among 208 men and 262 women in Division II who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the 2014 cross country season.

Honorees must have compiled a cumulative GPA or 3.25 or greater and must have finished among the top 30 percent of total eligible runners at his or her regional championship (total Division II teams in the region multiplied by seven runners per team) or in the top half of the field at the NCAA Championships.

The 262 women’s award winners hail from 122 different institutions and 22 conferences. Leading the nation with seven All-Academic individuals were ninth-place finisher Roberts Wesleyan, 16th-place Western State and Northern Michigan.
 
Eight more teams were represented by six All-Academic individuals apiece: Minnesota Duluth, Adams State, Bloomsburg, Montevallo, Union (Tenn.), Indiana (Pa.), West Virginia Wesleyan and Wingate.
 
Forty-three women checked in with perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point averages.