Full Women's Academic All-District List

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - For the second straight season, multiple Carson-Newman women's track & field and cross country athletes were selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, announced on Thursday, May 26.

Morgan Bailey, Marlee Baker, Klara Naude, Susan Nelson, Abby Owens and Rachel Strayer all represent the convocation in District Three, representing the SAC, Conference Carolinas and Peach Belt. Carson-Newman holds sixty percent of the Academic All-District team, the most representatives from any school in the region. 

Of the six athletes honored, five of them hold a 4.0 GPA. 

Morgan Bailey makes the list for the second straight season. The Mount Juliet, Tenn. native holds a 4.0 GPA while double majoring in Religion and Exercise Science. During the indoor season, Bailey set new personal bests in both the 60-meter and 400-meter runs. As a member of the 4x400 meter relay team, she led the Eagles to a third-place medal at the ETSU Invitational.

In the outdoor season, Bailey set personal bests in the 100-meter and 200-meter runs, along with the 400-meter hurdles. The junior recorded eleven top-10 finishes during the 2021-22 track & field season.

The lone Academic All-American from last season for Carson-Newman, Marlee Baker makes the All-District team, earning a 4.0 GPA while studying Psychology. Baker recorded ten top-10 finishes in the pole vault this season, including a fourth place finish at the Tiger Paw Classic. Baker finished fifth at the SAC Outdoor Championships in the event with a clearance of 2.80 meters.

Klara Naude graduated from Carson-Newman this past semester, graduating with a 4.0 GPA while majoring in Exercise Science. The South Africa native returned to the the cross country and track & field teams this year after missing the 2020-21 season due to Covid restrictions in her native country. 

Naude finished 15th in the 5K at the Tusculum Open with a time of 24:13.6, her first cross country race in over two years. In her track & field return, Naude set a personal best in the 400-meter run at the Lee Invitational with a time of 1:05.46. 

Susan Nelson makes the list earning a 4.0 GPA while majoring in Exercise Science. Nelson was part of a successful women's jump squad, recording six top-10 finishes in the long jump, including a third-place finish at the Electric City Invitational in Anderson with a mark of 5.27 meters.

Abby Owens dominated off the field as well as on it this season for the Eagles, earning a 4.0 GPA while double majoring in Mathematics and Philosophy. Owens recorded eight top-10 finishes in the pole vault this season, recording event championships at the Lee Invitational and Electric City Invitational.

She ended the indoor season with a second-place finish at the SAC Indoor Championships with a clearance of 3.10 meters. At the SAC Outdoor Championships, Owens won her second straight gold medal with a clearance of 3.45 meters. 

Rachel Strayer ends her career in Mossy Creek as one of the most prolific distance runners in program history. The senior graduated from Carson-Newman with a 3.97 GPA and earning a degree in Exercise Science.

In her return to the cross country course, Strayer earned All-Region honors for the third straight season, recording four top-20 finishes, including a third-place finish at the Tusculum Open in the 5K with a time of 20:09.07. The senior led the Eagles at every single race the convocation competed in during the 2021 season. 

On the track, Strayer broke two school records to end her career. The Murfreesboro, Tenn. native beat out Aubrey beat Morris' time set in 2009 of 18:25.00 by a whopping 42.05 seconds in the race at Western Kentucky. Strayer's time also beats her former outdoor personal best of 18:45.21 by 1:03.04. 

In her final race of the season, Strayer finished 14th in the 10,00-meter run with a time of 39:10.96. Strayer beat the record set back in 2019 by Bekah White by 1:19.24 seconds. She leaves with three school records in cross country and three in track & field.