NEW ORLEANS – The Western Michigan track & field team was named an All-Academic Team while Sarah Anderson and Erin Dowd earned All-Academic honors, which was announced Thursday, June 26 by the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

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To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and have met at least one of the following athletic standards:

• For the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the 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.
• For the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).

Anderson, an Exercise Science major, finished the year with a 3.43 GPA and also finished Academic All-Mid-American Conference and MAC Scholar Athlete for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. She was the MAC title winner in the 800-meter run and was named First Team All-MAC during the outdoor season. Along with teammate Dowd, the Grand Rapids, Mich. native helped the 4x400m relay team to a second place finish in the MAC. She concluded her junior campaign competing at the NCAA East Preliminary Championships in the 800 for the first time in her career.

Dowd finished the year with an overall GPA of 3.59 and is currently pursuing her Chemical Engineering degree. The sophomore was named Academic All-MAC for both the indoor and outdoor season, also earning MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete for the outdoor season. She won the MAC title in the 400-meter hurdles at the Outdoor MAC Championships after running a career-best time of 59.08 seconds all while helping the 4x400m relay team to a second place finish. As a result, the Brighton, Mich. native garnered First Team All-MAC honors and concluded the season at the NCAA East Preliminary Champions for the first time in her career.

As a team, the Broncos finished with a team GPA of 3.27 to take home USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors.