Blagg and Gimre Collect Academic All-District Honors

CoSIDA Academic All-District Team | TU Honors Page

UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor women's track and field athletes Rachel Blagg and Mae Elizabeth Gimre were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District II team, announced late last week.

The Trojans claimed two of the ten available spots on the College Division District II Team, which consists of student-athletes at NAIA institutions in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

With 28 Academic All-District award winners during the 2016-17 year, Taylor leads the NAIA and trails only Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Johns Hopkins for the most Academic All-District honorees in the nation at any level.

The CoSIDA Academic All-District award is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements in the classroom, as well as on the field of play. In order to be eligible for the honor, an athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 or higher on a 4.0 scale, have reached sophomore status academically, and have participated as a key contributor during the current season.

Blagg, a sophomore majoring in biology, carries a 3.92 grade-point average. An All-Crossroads League performer in cross country, Blagg also earned NAIA All-American honors at the NAIA indoor track and field championships as a member of TU's 4x800-meter relay team while also competing in the 1,000-meters and the distance medley relay at the indoor championships. Blagg earned All-Crossroads League honors in the 800-meters, 1,500-meters, and 4x800-meter relay.

Gimre, a sophomore from West Chicago, Illinois, earned All-Crossroads League honors in cross country and was named the Crossroads League Cross Country Runner of the Week on four occasions. An elementary education major with a 3.91 GPA, Gimre also competed for TU's distance medley relay team at the NAIA indoor national championships and earned All-Indiana Little State honors in the 5,000-meters.

Blagg and Gimre will now be eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-American honors which will be selected and announced later this month. Seven Taylor student-athletes have earned CoSIDA Academic All-American recognition during the 2016-17 season.