7/26/18

NEW ORLEANS – Continuing to add to her impressive freshman campaign, University of North Georgia track and field student-athlete Abigail Kirkland was named a U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic individual Thursday. In addition, the Nighthawk track & field team was named an All-Academic Team by the association.

Kirkland was one of 405 women to be named an All-Academic individual by the association. To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, student-athletes must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and have reached a provisional or automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA Championships in either the indoor or outdoor seasons.

The Nighthawk team earned a 3.48 GPA for the 2017-18 school year, just over a tenth of a point away from the highest mark in the nation. The 3.48 GPA was also higher than every men’s team honored by the association. Other Peach Belt teams that joined UNG on the list of 132 women’s teams included Columbus State, Embry-Riddle and Nova Southeastern.

The Nighthawks finished fourth out of the eight teams in the PBC Championship for the second time in as many years this past season with Kirkland taking home numerous awards, including the 400 meter hurdles championship.

The USTFCCCA is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations.