From Washington University Athletics
The Washington University in St. Louis track & field and cross country teams had five student-athletes named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-District Five Men's and Women's Track & Field/Cross Country First Teams, as announced Friday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Senior Lucy Cheadle, sophomore Daisy Ogede and junior Ellen Toennies were each named to the women's Academic All-District Team, while senior Drew Padgett and sophomore Deko Ricketts represented WashU on the men's Academic All-District Team. Cheadle and Padgett both received Academic All-District honors for the third year in a row, while Ogede, Toennies and Ricketts were all first-time honorees.
Cheadle, the most decorated runner in WashU history, is a two-time national champion and a 12-time All-American in cross country and track & field. She became just the 13th runner in NCAA Division III women's cross country history to earn All-America honors all four years when she finished as the runner-up at the 2014 National Championships. Cheadle, who won the national title in the 3,000 steeplechase at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, earned her second individual national championship when she won the 5,000 at the 2015 Indoor Track & Field Championships. She is also a two-time Academic All-American, earning first-team honors in 2014 and third-team accolades in 2013. Cheadle graduated with a 3.80 GPA while majoring in chemical engineering.
Ogede had a breakout sophomore season for the women's track & field team, qualifying for both the NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2015. She ran on the Bears' 1,600 relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and is competing in the 100, 200 and 1,600 relay at this week's NCAA Outdoor Championships. Ogede was named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Women's Most Outstanding Performer in the Running Events after racing to four conference titles in the 60, 200, 60 hurdles and 1,600 relay. She nearly matched that performance at the 2015 UAA Outdoor Championships, winning the 100, 200 and 400 relay to earn the UAA Outdoor Women's Most Outstanding Performer in the Running Events award. An Academic All-UAA honoree, Ogede holds a 3.71 GPA while majoring in biology: neuroscience.
Padgett became just the third individual in WashU history to finish in the top-10 when he placed sixth at the 2014 NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships. He was also the first runner in school history to win the regional cross country title when he raced to first place at the 2014 NCAA Midwest Region Championships. As a junior, Padgett became the second men's runner in school history to earn All-America honors in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field in the same year. He placed 25th at the 2013 NCAA Cross Country Championships, and set a school record to finish seventh in the 3,000 at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Padgett finished his outstanding junior season by placing third in the 5,000 and fourth in the 10,000 at the Outdoor Track & Field Championships. A 2014 Academic All-America Third-Team honoree, he graduated with a 3.62 GPA while majoring in psychology.
Ricketts is a three-time track & field national qualifier, and earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the 800 at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He will try to earn repeat All-America honors in the event at this week's NCAA Championships. Ricketts also raced on the 1,600 relay that posted top-10 finishes at the Outdoor Championships each of the past two seasons, and was on the Bears' distance medley relay that placed 10th at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships. Earlier this season, he broke WashU's 23-year-old school record in the outdoor 800 with a time of 1:50.31. Ricketts also owns the second-fastest 800 time in school history indoors (1:55.04). A four-time All-UAA performer and three-time UAA Athlete of the Week, he holds a 3.66 GPA while majoring in mechanical engineering.
Toennies earned the first All-America honor of her career as a member of WashU's seventh-place distance medley relay at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. She finished fourth at the 2014 NCAA Midwest Region Cross Country Championships to earn All-Region honors for the second year in a row after placing 15th in 2013. Toennies just missed All-America cross country honors, finishing 49th overall to help WashU place fourth as a team. She finished third at the 2014 UAA Cross Country Championships, and added All-UAA honors in both indoor and outdoor track & field as well. At the 2015 UAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Toennies clocked the third-fastest time in WashU history to place third in the mile. A two-time Academic All-UAA selection, she holds a 3.74 GPA while majoring in mechanical engineering.
In order to be selected to an Academic All-District team, a student-athlete must possess at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA and be at least a sophomore in academic and athletic standing. As members of the Academic All-District Teams, the five student-athletes will be among the nominees for the NCAA Division III Capital One Academic All-America Teams, which will be announced Tuesday, June 23.