FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference announced its yearly all-academic teams for men's and women's track & field along with its Student-Athlete of the Year on Tuesday. Ajah Criner, Jared Hamilton, Jaron Hamilton, Zachary Jewell, Tamara Reeves, and Tyler Rose all earned Academic All-SLC honors.
 
Criner, a senior from Hope, Arkansas, earned her third academic all-conference selection. She qualified for the NCAA West Prelims in the 100m and 200m. She holds the UCA record in the 200m and is a member of the 4x400m relay team that holds the best time in program history for indoor. Outdoor, she holds the 200m record and was a member of the 4x400m relay that owns the school record. She earned first-team all-conference in the 200m as the 2021 SLC Outdoor Champion. She was a second-team all-conference recipient in the 100m with a runner-up finish at the outdoor conference meet. She earned a second-team all-conference honor as a member of the 4x400m relay team that were runners-up at the 2021 Southland Outdoor Championships. She has been outstanding in the classroom with a 3.76 GPA in the pursuit of a degree in athletic training.
 
Jared Hamilton, a senior from Grand Prairie, Texas, picked up his third academic all-conference nod. He placed fourth in the 1,500m at the 2021 SLC Outdoor Championships. He finished 11th in the 800m at the 2021 Southland Outdoor Championships. He won the 800m at the Richard Martin Jr. Invitational. He has produced a perfect 4.0 GPA in pursuit of a Master of Business Administration.
 
Jaron Hamilton, a senior native of Grand Prairie, Texas, notched his second all-academic honor. He placed fourth at the SLC Championships in the 3,000m steeplechase. He is the UCA record holder in the 3,000m steeplechase. He earned first-team all-conference honors at the 2021 Southland Indoor Championships as a member of the distance medley relay (DMR) team that claimed the SLC title. He finished sixth in the 3,000m at the 2021 Southland Indoor Championships. He holds a 3.5 GPA while in the pursuit of a Master of Arts in Sport Management.
 
Jewell, a senior from Mena, Arkansas, tallied his third all-academic accolade. He is a Second-Team All-American in the 100m as he placed 16th at the NCAA Championships. He qualified for the NCAA West Prelims in the 100m and 200m. He earned first-team all-conference as the 2021 Southland Outdoor Champion in the 200m. He was a second-team all-conference selection in the 100m with a runner-up finish at the 2021 Southland Outdoor Championships. He broke the UCA record in the outdoor 100m and 200m. He posted the fourth-best time in the West Region with a 10.07 in the 100m. He was a member of the 4x100m relay team that placed eighth at the SLC Championships. He has compiled a perfect 4.0 GPA in the pursuit of a Master of Geo. Info System.
 
Reeves, a sophomore from Christchurch, New Zealand, earned her first all-academic honor. She is a third-team all-conference selection in the 1,500m with her third-place finish at the 2021 Southland Outdoor Championships. She is the 1,500m outdoor record holder at UCA. She was the Southland Runner-Up in the mile at the 2021 Indoor Championships, which earned her a second-team all-conference honor. She placed fourth in the 3,000m at the 2021 Southland Indoor Championships. She was a member of the DMR squad that came in fourth at the 2021 SLC Indoor Championships. She has a perfect 4.0 GPA.
 
Rose, a junior native of Fresno, Texas, was named academic all-conference for the first time. She earned second-team all-conference honors in the 400m as the 2021 SLC Runner-Up at the indoor championships. She holds UCA's fastest time in the indoor and outdoor 400m. She is a member of the UCA record-breaking 4x400m relay team that placed fourth at the SLC Outdoor Championships. She earned second-team all-conference honors as a member of the 4x400m relay that were the runners-up at the 2021 SLC Outdoor Championships. She was a member of the 4x100m relay that placed fourth at the SLC Outdoor Championships. She currently has a 3.83 GPA in the pursuit of a health education degree.

Men's Outdoor Track & Field Student-Athlete of the Year: Franck DiSanza, Southeastern Louisiana
2021 Southland Conference Men's Track & Field Academic All-Conference Team

Name	School	Cl.	GPA	Major
Jack Marshall	Abilene Christian	Jr.	3.67	Management
Jared Hamilton3	Central Arkansas	Gr.	4.00	M.B.A.
Jaron Hamilton*	Central Arkansas	Gr.	3.50	Master's, Sport Management
Zachary Jewell*2	Central Arkansas	Sr.	4.00	Master's, Geo Info System
Scott Boon*2	Houston Baptist	Jr.	3.85	International Business
Ben Drew*	Houston Baptist	Sr.	3.66	Finance
Garrett Gibson	Houston Baptist	Jr.	3.26	Accounting
Hudson Hall	Houston Baptist	Sr.	3.64	Psychology
Denim Rogers*	Houston Baptist	Gr.	4.00	Master's, Sports Management
Parker Barrett	UIW	So.	3.86	Criminal Justice
Matthew Hernandez2	UIW	Jr.	3.74	Sports Management
Cash Kunkel	UIW	So.	3.97	Business Administration
Rodney Littlejohn4	UIW	Gr.	3.93	Master's, Kinesiology
Matthew Arnold3	Lamar	Gr.	3.58	English
Eli Peveto	Lamar	Gr.	4.00	Computer Science
Gideon Cheplak*	McNeese	Jr.	3.07	Applied & Natural Sciences
Henry Kiplagat	McNeese	Sr.	3.58	General Studies
Cade Litolff	New Orleans	So.	3.71	Chemistry
Alec Snell*	New Orleans	So.	3.51	Mechanical Engineering
Destine Scott	Northwestern State	Jr.	3.20	General Studies
Quindarrius Thompson	Northwestern State	Gr.	4.00	Master's, Homeland Security
Andrew Bosquez*	Sam Houston	Sr.	3.02	Sociology
Eric Callaway	Sam Houston	Sr.	3.12	Electronics & Computer Engineering
Denzel Downing	Sam Houston	Sr.	3.17	Communications
Clayton Fritsch*2	Sam Houston	Sr.	3.31	Construction Management
Anthony Cordero	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	3.14	Engineering Technology
Stevon Crooks	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	3.00	Business Administration
Thomas Daigle	Southeastern Louisiana	So.	3.78	History
Frank DiSanza*^	Southeastern Louisiana	So.	3.74	Computer Science
D.J. Ruffin*	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	3.05	Sociology
Slavko Stevic*	Southeastern Louisiana	So.	3.93	Computer Science
Trenton Bridges*	Stephen F. Austin	Sr.	3.00	Kinesiology
Branson Ellis*2	Stephen F. Austin	Jr.	3.20	Agricultural Engineering Technology
Asani Hylton*	Stephen F. Austin	Jr.	3.10	Health Science
Muzuri Mattar*	Stephen F. Austin	Jr.	3.20	Health Science
Cord Neal	Stephen F. Austin	Jr.	4.00	Animal Science
Timor Barrett	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	Sr.	3.44	Kinesiology
Dennis Kipngeno	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	So.	3.53	Pre-Nursing
Keenan Lawrence	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	Jr.	3.73	Accounting

Women's Outdoor Track & Field Student-Athlete of the Year: Natashia Jackson, Northwestern State
2020 Southland Conference Women's Track & Field Academic All-Conference Team

Name	School	Cl.	GPA	Major
Ella Antilla*	Abilene Christian	Sr.	3.67	Psychology
Payton Kirk	Abilene Christian	Sr.	3.80	Engineering
Irene Rono*	Abilene Christian	Jr.	3.51	Nursing
Zoe Spinn*2	Abilene Christian	Sr.	3.78	Nursing
Taylor Tolen*2	Abilene Christian	Sr.	3.67	Kinesiology
Ajah Criner*3	Central Arkansas	Sr.	3.76	Athletic Training
Tamara Reeves	Central Arkansas	So.	4.00	Undecided
Tyler Rose	Central Arkansas	Jr.	3.83	Health Education
Jessica Rabius*	Houston Baptist	Jr.	3.90	Kinesiology
Kaitlin Smith*3	Houston Baptist	Gr.	4.00	Kinesiology-Sports Management
Maryn DeMaio	UIW	So.	3.45	Marketing
Madison Henry2	UIW	Gr.	4.00	M.B.A.
Deja Keys	UIW	Gr.	4.00	MAA – Criminal Justice
Alisa Novosad2	UIW	Jr.	4.00	Rehabilitative Sciences
Erekha Sebastion	UIW	Sr.	3.43	Elementary Education
Sullivan Wilke	UIW	So.	3.89	Rehabilitative Sciences
Parl Eelma	Lamar	So.	3.61	Graphic Design
Alanna Arvie*4	McNeese	Gr.	4.00	HHP-Exercise Physiology
Malayia Jedkins2	McNeese	Jr.	3.13	Health Systems Management
Grace McKenzie*	McNeese	Gr.	4.00	HHP – Exercise Physiology & Health Promotion
Jemira Thomlinson	McNeese	Gr.	3.14	M.B.A.
Arina Kleshchukova2	New Orleans	Jr.	3.81	Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Admin.
Allie Louis	New Orleans	Sr.	3.62	Human Perf. & Health Promotion
Shamarah Shannon	New Orleans	So.	3.33	Human Perf. & Health Promotion
Chelsea Harrington*	Nicholls	Jr.	3.13	Psychology
Elsa Rijpstra	Nicholls	So.	4.00	Allied Health Sciences
Annemarie Broussard*2	Northwestern State	Jr.	3.63	Health & Exercise Science
Natashia Jackson^*2	Northwestern State	Gr.	4.00	Homeland Security
Kristin McDuffie	Northwestern State	Gr.	3.05	Sports Administration
Janiel Moore*	Northwestern State	Sr.	3.30	Psychology
Jasmyn Steels*4	Northwestern State	Gr.	3.63	Sports Administration
Allie Angelo	Sam Houston	Sr.	3.44	Kinesiology
Sandy Clarkin2	Sam Houston	Jr.	3.96	Kinesiology
Halie Daniel	Sam Houston	Gr.	3.97	Homeland Security
Rebeca Gonzalez2	Sam Houston	Gr.	4.00	M.B.A.
Sophie Daigle	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	3.28	Kinesiology
Indya Jackson	Southeastern Louisiana	So.	3.35	Biology
Grace Walford	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	3.95	Elementary Special Education
Charlotte Wissing*	Southeastern Louisiana	Sr.	3.66	Marketing
Kaylee Bizzell2	Stephen F. Austin	Sr.	3.70	Nursing
Mathilde Coquillaud-Salomon*	Stephen F. Austin	So.	3.80	Kinesiology
Avery Ellis-Byerly2	Stephen F. Austin	Sr.	4.00	Kinesiology
Nissi Kabongo*	Stephen F. Austin	So.	3.40	Psychology
Brianna Nolen	Stephen F. Austin	Jr.	3.40	Health Science
Kelsey Ramirez*3	Stephen F. Austin	Sr.	3.85	Kinesiology

* Automatic selection
² Two-time all-academic selection
³ Three-time all-academic selection
⁴ Four-time all-academic selection
^{^} Student-Athlete of the Year
 
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