Conway – The Central Arkansas Men's and Women's Track and Cross Country Teams placed five runners on the Southland Conference's XC/T&F All-Academic Teams, the league announced on Wednesday. Senior Grant Williams and junior Markus Schwiekert represent the men's team, while seniors Brigette Caruthers, Samantha Gibson, and Sara Calhoun were selected for the women's team.

Williams, from Hot Springs, Arkansas, started the 2016-17 year off by recording a pair of top-15 finishes during the cross country season, running the six kilometer course at the UCA Cross Country Challenge in 19:35.7 to finish 12^th out of 75 runners, before completing the eight kilometer course at the Little Rock Invitational in 26:22.2 to cross the finish line 13^th out of 50 runners. Williams would add a top-ten finish during the indoor track season, finishing 8^th out of 23 runners at in the 3,000 Meters at the Kansas Jayhawk Classic with a time of 9:02.68. Williams closed out his collegiate career in fine form during the outdoor season, picking up five top-ten finishes. Three of those came in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase, where he finished third at the Rhodes Invitational (9:31.86), fourth at the Kansas Relays (9:33.77), and seventh at the Texas Relays (9:20.71). Williams added a pair of top-ten finishes in the 5,000 Meters, crossing the finish line first at the UCA Open (15:43.13) and finishing seventh at the UCA Relays (15:43.13). Williams, who also earned SLC All-Academic honors in 2016, graduated with a 3.64 GPA and a degree in Biology.

Schweikert, a native of Spay, Germany, was a force during the 2016 cross country season, tallying thee top-three finishes and adding a pair of top-20 finishes. He won both the UCA Cross Country Challenge, beating 74 other runners around the six kilometer course with a time of 18:42.7, and the Rhodes Invitational, taking down 154 other runners to finish the eight kilometer course in 25:19.43. Schweikert finished second at the Little Rock Invitational, with a time of 25:21.9 to finish the eight kilometer course, while coming in 12^th at the four mile Memphis Twilight Run (20:04.82) and 19^th at the eight kilometer Texas A&M Invitational (25:03.96). He carries a 3.82 GPA in pursuit of a degree in management.

???????Caruthers, from Branson, Missouri, earns SLC All-Academic honors for the second time, following selection in 2015. She was named All-Southland Conference Second Team for the 2016 cross country season, after compiling three top-ten finishes. She won the UCA Cross Country Challenge, beating out 103 runners to finish the four kilometer course in 14:23.8, before out-pacing the other 62 runners at the Little Rock Invitational to finish the five kilometer course in a meet-best 18:13.7. She was the seventh runner across the line at the Southland Cross Country Championship, finishing the six kilometer course in 21:44.2. Picked up three top-ten finishes during the indoor season, coming in fourth in the 1 Mile at the Jayhawk Classic (5:29.83), seventh in the 1,000 Meters at the Jayhawk Classic (3:19.08), and eighth in the 5,000 Meters at the Southland Indoor Championships (17:42.32). Caruthers added seven top-ten finishes during the outdoor season, highlighted by a win in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase at the UCA Open (11:21.64), a third-place finish in the 1,500 Meters at the UCA Relays (4:57.11), and a fourth-place finish in the 5,000 Meters at the Carl Knight Invitational (17:39.53). She graduated with a 3.88 GPA and a degree in Physical Therapy.

Gibson, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earned All-Southland Conference Second Team honors during the indoor season, when she finished second in the Pentathlon with a total of 3,693 points. She added a win in the 600 Yards at the Jayhawk Classic, setting a school record by turning in a time of 1:27.16, and finished second in the 800 Meters (2:18.50) and the High Jump (1.63 meters) at the Arkansas State Kickoff. Added three more top-ten finishes during the outdoor season, winning the 100 Meter (1:01.78) and finishing second in the Long Jump (5.27 meters) at the Rhodes Invitational, and finishing second in the Javelin at the UCA Relays (36.40 meters). Gibson sat second in the Heptathlon at the Southland Outdoor Championships after one day of competition, before being forced to withdraw due to an injury. She carries a 3.05 GPA in pursuit of a degree in Exercise Science.

Calhoun, a native of Fayetteville, Arkansas, recorded four top-ten finishes in the pole vault during the indoor season. She finished second at the Emory Invitational (3.56 meters), fifth at the Arkansas State Kickoff (3.45 meters), sixth at the Kansas Jayhawk Classic (3.43 meters), and ninth at the Southland Indoor Championships (3.47 meters). Calhoun was even better during the outdoor season, tallying six top-ten finishes in the event, highlighted by fourth-place finishes at the Carl Knight Invitational (3.56 meters) and the UCA Open (3.51 meters), and a seventh-place finish at the Southland Outdoor Championships (3.60 meters). She also added a pair of top-20 finishes in the long jump at the Central Arkansas Relays (13^th, 4.41 meters) and the Rhodes Invitational (18^th, 4.36 meters). Calhoun graduated with a 3.66 GPA and a degree in Accounting.