THREE FERRIS WOMEN'S TRACK RUNNERS NAMED TO ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Stuart, Muir & Onweller Earn Individual Honors From USTFCCCA

Mikinzie Stuart

Tina Muir

Paige Onweller

Three Ferris State University women's track and field student-athletes have been honored as 2009 United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team selections in an announcement made by the USTFCCCA.

Senior distance runner Mikinzie Stuart (Saginaw/Nouvel) along with sophomore distance competitors Tina Muir (St. Albans, U.K.) and Paige Onweller (Lapeer/East) were recognized individually as 2009 Division II USTFCCCA Women's All-Academic Team members.

A total of 250 student-athletes representing 73 Division II colleges and universities made up the 2009 All-Academic team. The USTFCCCA honors Division II individuals for their academic and athletic achievements during the indoor and outdoor track and field season. To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met the NCAA Division II Indoor or Outdoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard in their respective event.

Stuart wrapped up her most successful season and impressive career by claiming All-America status with a fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meters during the 2009 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships (May 21-23) at the LeGrand Sports Complex in San Angelo, Texas. Stuart clocked 4:31.67 in the 1,500-meter finals during her initial appearance at the national outdoor track and field championships. She also competed at this year's NCAA-II Indoor Track and Field Championships (March 13-14) in Houston, Texas, where she earned All-America honors by placing seventh for the Bulldogs in the women's one mile run (4:58.59). Stuart also earned indoor All-America accolades in 2006 as a member of FSU's record-setting distance medley relay team.

Earlier this season, Start received runner-up honors in the 1,500 meters (4:34.89) at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships (April 30-May 1) in Hillsdale, Mich. Stuart won the mile run (4:57.94) at the conference indoor meet (Feb. 27-28) and ran on FSU’s distance medley relay team that placed second (12:10.01) overall.

Last fall, Stuart was named to the USTFCCCA Division II All-Midwest Region Team following her performance at the 2008 NCAA-II Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships (Nov. 8) at FSU's Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich. She placed 12th overall (22:41.6) in the field of 132 runners as FSU narrowly edged Southern Indiana by two points for the final national team qualifying berth. Last fall's third place regional effort was the program's best showing since an identical third-place finish at the 1990 NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championships and the 2008 campaign represented only the third time in history the Bulldog women's cross country team qualified as a team for the national championships, where they finished 17th at the NCAA-II National Championships (Nov. 22) in Slippery Rock, Pa. Stuart also was named to the All-GLIAC Cross Country Second Team last fall after an eighth-place individual performance at the league cross country championships.

Muir also attained 2009 NCAA-II Outdoor All-America accolades with a fourth-place performance in the 5,000 meters (16:56.92) at this year's national meet in her first appearance. Muir, who finished 12th overall in the women's 5,000 meters (17:28.90) at the indoor nationals, also claimed All-America honors last fall by finishing 12th overall at the NCAA-II National Cross Country Championships. This season, Muir won the 5,000 meters (16:56.48) at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships while setting a new league meet record. She was also the conference indoor champion in two events as she won both the 3,000 meters (9:59.32) and the 5,000 meters (16:58.38).

Finally, Onweller placed sixth in the 1,500 meters (4:45.27) at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships and ran on the school's 4x400-meter relay team that also finished sixth (4:11.41) at the league meet. A provisional national outdoor qualifier in the 1,500 meters this year, Onweller added a fifth-place performance in the mile run (5:07.12) at the GLIAC Indoor Championships. She placed 103rd (23:48) overall as FSU's third runner at the 2008 NCAA-II Cross Country Championships.

Stuart, Muir & Onweller previously were named to the 2008 USTFCCCA Division II Women's Cross Country All-Academic Team for their efforts both on the course and in the classroom last fall, which helped the Bulldog cross country team claim All-Academic Team recognition from the USTFCCCA.