SFA Track and Field Places Five Athletes on Southland All-Academic Teams
6/12/2019 2:38:00 PM | Track & Field
Southland Conference All-Academic Team release
FRISCO, Texas – The 2019 campaign was undoubtedly one of great success for SFA Track and Field, and that trend continued with the placement of five 'Jacks on the Southland Conference All-Academic Teams, per a Wednesday release. Two Lumberjack athletes (Cord Neal and Drake Murphy) joined Ladyjacks Kelsey Ramirez, Taryn Surratt and Jillian Turner on the academic team, which includes a total of 67 student-athletes from the league's 13 member schools.
SFA swept the Southland Conference titles on the women's side, thanks in large part to the trio of Ladyjacks mentioned above. The Lumberjacks improved from a sixth-place finish indoors to take third place as a team, with Neal and Murphy both bringing home gold medals in their respective individual events. Surratt is a repeat honoree of the award, having earned it last season as well.
Earning the award in the first season in which they were eligible to do so are Ramirez and Neal, both sophomores who sport a 4.00 GPA. Ramirez, a native of La Porte, Texas, is studying Kinesiology and was an automatic selection to the All-Academic Team thanks to her status as a First Team All-Conference selection. She was the conference champion in the mile run during the indoor championship as well as the 1500m run during the outdoor conference meet. Neal, a
Chester, Texas native, improved upon his runner-up finish in the men's javelin last season and won gold at the Southland Outdoor Championship, making him an automatic qualifier as well.
Surratt, SFA's other 4.00 student on the All-Academic Teams, was a podium finisher in three separate distance races at the SLC Outdoor Championships. The Webster, Texas native is majoring in music at SFA, and is making her second straight appearance on the SLC All-Academic Team.
A pair of seniors round out the SFA contingent on the annual academic list, as Drake Murphy and Jillian Turner each earn their first All-Academic plaudits. Murphy, a native of Galveston, earns the award in his first season eligible to do so, and was an automatic selection as a First Team All-Conference honoree. Murphy was the league's individual champion in the 800m run, as well as part of the runner-up relay in the men's 4x400. Turner, also of La Porte, rounds out SFA's selections to the All-Academic teams. The senior was voted onto the team thanks to a 3.5 GPA and a pair of podium finishes at the SLC Outdoor championships.
The Southland Conference all-Academic Team is comprised of 50 percent of the total nominations received, including the automatic selections on both the men's and women's teams. Voting is carried out by three individuals from each school, including the sports information director, head coach and academic/compliance staff member.
-SFA-
FRISCO, Texas – The 2019 campaign was undoubtedly one of great success for SFA Track and Field, and that trend continued with the placement of five 'Jacks on the Southland Conference All-Academic Teams, per a Wednesday release. Two Lumberjack athletes (Cord Neal and Drake Murphy) joined Ladyjacks Kelsey Ramirez, Taryn Surratt and Jillian Turner on the academic team, which includes a total of 67 student-athletes from the league's 13 member schools.
SFA swept the Southland Conference titles on the women's side, thanks in large part to the trio of Ladyjacks mentioned above. The Lumberjacks improved from a sixth-place finish indoors to take third place as a team, with Neal and Murphy both bringing home gold medals in their respective individual events. Surratt is a repeat honoree of the award, having earned it last season as well.
Earning the award in the first season in which they were eligible to do so are Ramirez and Neal, both sophomores who sport a 4.00 GPA. Ramirez, a native of La Porte, Texas, is studying Kinesiology and was an automatic selection to the All-Academic Team thanks to her status as a First Team All-Conference selection. She was the conference champion in the mile run during the indoor championship as well as the 1500m run during the outdoor conference meet. Neal, a
Chester, Texas native, improved upon his runner-up finish in the men's javelin last season and won gold at the Southland Outdoor Championship, making him an automatic qualifier as well.
Surratt, SFA's other 4.00 student on the All-Academic Teams, was a podium finisher in three separate distance races at the SLC Outdoor Championships. The Webster, Texas native is majoring in music at SFA, and is making her second straight appearance on the SLC All-Academic Team.
A pair of seniors round out the SFA contingent on the annual academic list, as Drake Murphy and Jillian Turner each earn their first All-Academic plaudits. Murphy, a native of Galveston, earns the award in his first season eligible to do so, and was an automatic selection as a First Team All-Conference honoree. Murphy was the league's individual champion in the 800m run, as well as part of the runner-up relay in the men's 4x400. Turner, also of La Porte, rounds out SFA's selections to the All-Academic teams. The senior was voted onto the team thanks to a 3.5 GPA and a pair of podium finishes at the SLC Outdoor championships.
The Southland Conference all-Academic Team is comprised of 50 percent of the total nominations received, including the automatic selections on both the men's and women's teams. Voting is carried out by three individuals from each school, including the sports information director, head coach and academic/compliance staff member.
-SFA-
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Multi
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Track & Field4.3.26 | Carl Kight Invitational Recap
Monday, April 06
2.26.25 | Indoor Track and Field Conference Preview
Wednesday, February 26
6.4.24 | Southland Conference Statement x Track and Field - Rob Hansen
Tuesday, June 04
1.17.24 | Axe 'Em Insider x Episode 21 - Track and Field
Wednesday, January 17
