Big 12-Best 54 Track & Field Athletes Named to Academic All-Big 12 Teams

Big 12-Best 54 Track & Field Athletes Named to Academic All-Big 12 Teams

May 25, 2021 | Track & Field

The 54 selections led all Big 12 schools, which included 47 on the First Team

MANHATTAN, Kan. – A total of 54 members of the Kansas State men's and women's track and field teams were selected to the 2021 Academic All-Big 12 teams, the conference announced Tuesday (May 25).

The women's team led the Big 12 with 30 selections, including 27 on the First Team, while the men's team was second to Kansas with 24 total honorees, including 20 on the First Team. The 54 total selections were the most by any Big 12 school followed by Kansas' 49.

Among the 54 selections were 12 individuals who achieved 4.0 grade point averages during the 2020-21 academic year, including Sydney Burton, Alex Ferguson, Helen Giefer, Macy Heinz, Cayli Hume, Kassidy Johnson, Tim Lambert, Emma Lucas, Mike Rohlinger, Cailan Steward, Hannah Stewart and Jessica Williams. Ferguson, Hume and Johnson have posted a 4.0 GPA each of the last three seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20).

Eight Wildcats earned Academic All-Big 12 honors for the fourth time, including four-time First Team selections Travis Hodge, Cayli Hume, Helene Ingvaldsen, Konstantina Romaiou, Lauren Taubert and Shaelyn Ward. Logan Wolfley and Ariel Okorie also received Academic All-Big 12 accolades for the fourth time with Wolfley garnering First Team honors for the first time in his career in 2021.

Ferguson, Cara Melgares and Tejaswin Shankar earned Academic All-Big 12 honors for the third time in their careers.

To qualify for Academic All-Big 12 honors, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshman and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Seniors who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

Those who earned spots on the conference's academic first team put together an overall GPA of 3.20 or higher.

The academic honors enhanced an already strong outdoor season by K-State, which performed well at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 14-16. Both teams finished among the top-4 with the women's team earning a runner-up finish to Texas with 114 points and the men's team holding off Texas Tech in the final event of the day – the men's 4x400-meter relay – to clinch a fourth-place finish with 88 points.

The Wildcats will start postseason competition this week, as 27 individuals and one relay team compete at the NCAA West Regional, which will be held at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas. The top-12 individuals and top 12 relay teams will advance to NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 9-12.

Men's First Team (3.20+ GPA) (Bold Denotes 4.0 GPA)
Matas Adamonis (Jr., Human Development and Family Science)
Kyle Alcine (Sr., Human Development and Family Science)
Dylan Brenneman (Sr., Chemical Engineering)
Justin Davis (Sr., Human Development and Family Science)
Kerby Depenbusch (So., Sociology/Criminology)
Nate Hassed (So., Accounting)
Chandler Heid (So., Business Administration)
James Higgs (So., Chemical Engineering)
Travis Hodge (Sr., Psychology/Nutritional Sciences/Gerontology)
Tim Lambert (So. Kinesiology)
Cameron Lewis (Gr., MBA)
Parker McCafferty (Jr., Kinesiology)
Jack Moore (So., Business Administration)
Kyle Parr (Sr., Civil Engineering)
Mike Rohlinger (So., Finance/Management)
Cooper Schroeder (So., Marketing)
Tejaswin Shankar (Sr., Accounting/Finance/Master's in Accounting)
Hadley Splechter (So., Kinesiology)
Jack Thomas (So., Biology)
Logan Wolfley (Sr., Spanish/Finance)

Men's Second Team (3.0-3.19 GPA)
Colin Echols (Sr., Management Information Systems)
David Lutgen (So., Biological Systems Engineering)
Noah Stevenson (Sr., Mechanical Engineering)
Jullane Walker (Sr., Communications Studies)

Women's First Team (3.20+ GPA) (Bold Denotes 4.0 GPA)
Vitoria Alves (Jr., Psychology)
Urte Bacianskaite (So., Kinesiology/Nutrition and Kinesiology)
Sydney Burton (So., Dietetics/Natural Resource and Environmental Science)
Regan Dineen (So., Kinesiology)
Alex Ferguson (Jr., Kinesiology/Statistics and Data Science)
Helen Giefer (So., Animal Sciences and Industry)
Akia Guerrier (Sr., Management)
Macy Heinz (Sr., Communications Studies)
Cayli Hume (Sr., Nutritional Sciences)
Helene Ingvaldsen (Sr., Management/Marketing)
Kassidy Johnson (Jr., Dietetics)
Delaney Kemp (So., Kinesiology/Nutrition and Kinesiology)
Taylor Latimer (Jr., Physical Education)
Briana Lowe (So., Nutrition and Health)
Emma Lucas (So., Biological Systems Engineering)
Cara Melgares (Sr., Accounting)
Kindel Nordhus (So., Open Option)
Maddie Righter (So., Nutrition and Health)
Konstantina Romaiou (Sr., Hospitality Management)
Jaybe Shufelberger (So., Business Administration/Natural Resource and Environment Science)
Lavaun Stephenson (Jr., Human Development and Family Science/Gerontology)
Cailan Steward (So., Architecture)
Hannah Stewart (So., Kinesiology)
Lauren Taubert (Sr., Human Development and Family Science/Gerontology)
Baylee Unruh (So., Kinesiology)
Shaelyn Ward (Sr., Kinesiology/Nutrition and Kinesiology/Gerontology)
Jessica Williams (So., Human Development and Family Science)

Women's Second Team (3.0-3.19 GPA)
Kimisha Chambers (Sr., Sociology)
Ariel Okorie (Sr., Management/French)
Ashley Petr (Sr., Animal Sciences and Industry)