CoSIDA Release, Academic All-Americans
AUSTIN, Texas. – Tanner Stepp and Rebekah White have collected Google Cloud Academic All-America® honors representing Carson-Newman Track & Field as announced this afternoon.
The 2017-18 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Men's & Women's Track/Cross Country Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the playing field and in the classroom.
White, a third-team at-large selection, held a 4.00 GPA in Exercise Science. She was just one of just four student-athletes in the group with a 4.00 GPA. The junior distance runner claimed the Elite 20 award from the league following the outdoor season for the student-athlete in the conference with the highest GPA, which included top-13 performances during the SAC Championships in both the 10K meter run and the 5K meter run (11th).
White becomes the only non-swimmer to earn a selection in C-N history during the D2 era, joining 2018 selection Mary Northcutt and two-time honoree Nancy Claire-Smith (2016-17) as the only women's at-large selections.
The 15 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division II women's track & field/cross country first team members hold a composite 3.94 GPA. Nineteen members of the 45-player first, second and third teams honorees hold a perfect 4.00 cumulative GPA.
Stepp earned First-Team At-Large honors as the Jefferson City, Tenn. native held a 3.69 GPA in accounting following his senior year. Stepp wrapped up a stellar C-N career over the weekend at the NCAA Championships, his eighth appearance in his time at Mossy Creek attending Nationals each semester to go along with a National Championship in the indoor high jump in 2018.
Stepp has claimed the award in back-to-back years, making the leap from third-team in 2017, as he became the first C-N Track & Field athlete in the history of the school during the D2 era to be lauded academic All-America in two-straight seasons. Former Track star Randall Freeman collected the honor making first-team for the program in 2015 and earned the honor from the football field in 2014. Stepp also joins Bryce Kirskey (2005) as the only other Track & Field student-athlete to claim the award.
The 19 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division II men's track & field/cross country first team members hold a composite 3.88 GPA. Ten members of the 45-player first, second and third teams honorees hold a perfect 4.00 cumulative GPA.
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