BRISTOL, Tenn. – Two members of the King University men's cross country and track and field teams, as well as three members of the King University women's cross country and track and field teams have been named Academic All-District by College Sports Communicators (CSC). Representing the men's programs are
Jordan Keith and
Jake Allison, while
Katy Neubert,
Annah Blankenship and
Ruthie Fripp earned the honors on the women's side.
Allison, a senior from Knoxville, Tenn., earns Academic All-District for the first time in his career. He was part of the Distance Medley Relay team that placed 10th at the Conference Carolinas Indoor Track and Field championships. He also competed in the 800 meters, finishing 25th with a finals time of 2:19.42.
Keith, a junior from Laurel Bloomery, Tenn., was previously named Academic All-Conference Carolinas. At the 2023 Liberty Open, he broke the school record in the 800 meters, finishing with a time of 1:59.14. At the Conference Carolinas Indoor championships, he was a member of the 4x400 relay team that placed sixth, before placing eighth in the 800 meters, narrowly missing his own record with a finals time of 1:59.70.
Blankenship, a sophomore from Abingdon, Va., received the 2023 Conference Carolinas Indoor Track and Field Elite 23 award, given to the student-athlete at the finals site in each sport who has the highest cumulative GPA. At the Conference Carolinas Indoor Track and Field championships, she set a personal record in the weight throw, marking 11.60 meters to finish 14th. She would go on to set four personal records during the outdoor season, including the hammer throw, where she marked 41.14 meters at the conference championships, placing 12th.
Fripp, a junior from Watertown, Tenn., was named Academic All-Conference Carolinas earlier this year. During the indoor season, she set a personal record in the weight throw, marking 13.32 meters. She competed in four events at the Conference Carolinas Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with a pair of 10th place finishes in the javelin and hammer throw.
Neubert, a senior from Johnson City, Tenn., has no shortage of awards, having been named Academic All-Conference Carolinas and receiving the highly prestigious Conference Carolinas Murphy Osborne Award. During the indoor season, she earned third team all-conference honors in the 800 meters, and was part of the distance medley relay team that took third. At the outdoor conference championships, she again earned third team all-conference honors in the 800 meters. This is her third time being named academic all-district, and last year she was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team.
The 2022-23 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes track & field/cross country honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced June 28 (women) and June 29 (men). The Division II CSC Academic All-America© awards are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II national office.
