GREENWOOD, IN – Lewis-Clark State Cross Country/Track and Field had 10 student-athletes earn College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, announced on Tuesday. Five men and five women met the strict criteria to receive the distinguished award.
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore in standing and have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average. Eligible nominees will be based off TFRRS performance rankings at the time of nomination and must be in the top 25 in the conference in an individual event.
“Always proud of our student-athletes for how hard they work in everything they do on the course, on the track and in the classroom,” coach Mike Collins said. “This award is nice because it recognizes both at once.”
Connor Alexander, Trenton Johnson, London Kirk, Perry Severijnse and Kobe Wessels represented the men’s team on the CSC Academic All-District list. On the women’s side, Gianna Anderson, Emily Collins, Grace Osborne, Grace Tiegs and Sydnie Zywina took home awards.
Alexander earned the first CSC honor of his career after making great strides in long distance events. He finished in the top 50 at the Cascade Conference Cross Country Championships and helped the Warriors place 13th at nationals. During track season, Alexander finished 14th in the 10,000m at the CCC meet. He maintains a perfect 4.00 GPA as a biology major.
Anderson, a two-sport athlete who also competes on the volleyball team, joined the top five javelin throwers in the LC State record book. The sophomore ranks fifth all-time in the event and placed fifth at the Cascade Conference Championships. She earned her first CSC honor with a 4.00 GPA in business administration and exercise science.
Collins had another standout year in the long sprints and earned the second CSC honor of her career. The junior set the LC State record in the 600m and mixed 4x400m relay and raced her way into the top five in the indoor distance medley relay, outdoor 400m, outdoor 200m and outdoor 4x400m relay. Collins placed 19th in the 600m and 11th in the DMR at indoor nationals. She earned All-CCC honors in the 400m. Collins maintains a 3.97 GPA in exercise science.
Johnson has solidified his place as one of the best jumpers in school history and continues to show his versatility in all events. He edited the record books with top five all-time marks in the 60m dash, indoor long jump, mixed 4x400m relay, indoor 4x400m relay, outdoor 400m, outdoor 4x100m relay, outdoor 4x400m relay and outdoor long jump. Johnson also impressed in the first multi-event of his career when he finished fifth in the CCC in the decathlon. He finished second in the CCC in the triple jump and was 10th at outdoor nationals and 12th at indoor. He holds a 3.98 GPA as an industrial electronics major. This is his second CSC honor.
Kirk wrapped up a storied career this spring as the fastest Warrior ever in the 400m. He added to his resume this season with top five LC State times in the 600m, indoor 4x400m relay, outdoor 4x100m relay and outdoor 4x400m relay. The senior placed 15th in the 600m at indoor nationals and was a member of the CCC team that won the 4x100m relay. Kirk was 14th in the 4x400m relay and 22nd in the 400m at outdoor nationals. He graduated with a 3.86 GPA and a degree in information technology. This is his third CSC honor.
Osborne continues to grow in throwing events and saw career-best marks this spring in the hammer throw and discus. The junior placed fifth in the discus and eighth in the hammer throw at the Cascade Conference Championships. Osborne maintains a 3.51 GPA with a focus on exercise science. This is her first CSC honor.
Severijnse made a big impact in his first outdoor season with the Warriors. The sophomore made the second-best javelin throw in program history with a distance of 61.16m to punch his ticket to nationals. He placed ninth in the NAIA in the event. Severijnse maintains a 3.82 GPA as a psychology major. This is his first CSC honor.
Tiegs, a junior that competes in cross country and track, had a breakout year in both. She had career-best times in cross country and placed 21st at the CCC meet. Tiegs set the LC State record in the 1,000m to place 14th at indoor nationals and was a member of the third-fastest indoor DMR in program history that placed 11th at indoor nationals. She finished fifth in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Cascade Conference Championships. Tiegs earned her first CSC honor with a 3.98 GPA in chemistry and computer science.
Wessels competed in his first individual event at nationals this season with a top 20 finish in the 3,000m. The junior placed 19th in the NAIA. He finished 18th for LC State at the CCC Cross Country Championships and helped the Warriors place 13th as a team at nationals. Wessels holds a 3.52 GPA in industrial electronics to earn his first honor.
Zywina left her mark on Warrior Athletics as the best triple jumper in school history. A three-time All-American in the event, the senior placed third in the indoor triple jump with a massive school record and set the program record in the long jump where she placed 10th. She was a member of the record-setting mixed 4x400m relay team as well. Zywina repeated as the CCC Champion in the triple jump and placed 15th at outdoor nationals. She graduated with a 3.57 GPA and a degree in business management to earn the first CSC honor of her career.
