Clayton State University Athletics

AUSTIN, Texas. – Senior women's cross country runner Joy Diaz (Riverdale, Ga.) has been named a Google Cloud Academic All-America Third-Team selection for Women's Track & Field/Cross Country as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Wednesday, June 20. It is the third straight year that Clayton State has had an Academic All-America.
 
Diaz becomes only the third individual, and fourth overall selection, in Clayton State Athletics history. She joins women's soccer's Maria Marti Bartis and men's cross country and track & field's Robert Spezzacatena. Marti Bartis is the only two time honoree, notching First-Team recognition in the fall of 2015 and 2016 while Spezzacatena was the first ever selection as a Third-Team choice in 2012.
 
One of just 46 individuals recognized nationwide in NCAA Division II, Diaz is also one of only four honorees to be named to one of the three teams after competing in only cross country in 2017-18. She is also the only one of those whose program offered track & field with Abby and Janey Berends (both Second-Team) and Amy McKelvey (Third-Team) making the team from Union University, which doesn't sponsor track & field.
 
"Joy continues to rack up the academic honors!," said head cross country and track & field coach Mike Mead. "Being selected Academic All-America is perhaps the highest academic honor for a college student-athlete. I am proud of Joy's accomplishments during her time as a Laker as well as her leadership the past two years."
 
Those accomplishments included becoming the first ever Peach Belt Conference Elite 15 winner in school history, doing so at the 2017 championship meet, and earning back-to-back Google Cloud Academic All-District honors.
 
A three-time All-PBC Academic Team selection, Diaz was also named an All-Academic Individual by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and played a significant role in Clayton State cross country being named an All-Academic Team by that organization in each of the past two years.
 
Additionally, Diaz was recognized in 2017 and 2018 as the Dotty H. Bumbalough and Pat Keane Academic Award winner. That award goes to the top academic student-athlete at Clayton State. This year she completed her degree in Performance Arts with a concentration in Theatre and Technical Theatre and a minor in Film – all with a perfect 4.0 GPA. The latter makes her one of 19 selections this year with a perfect mark.
 
She is one of four individuals selected from Southeast Region schools and the only one from a full-fledged PBC member institution. Marina LeVine (Second-Team) of track & field associate member Embry Riddle (Fla.) was the only one of the latter while Valerie Griesche (First-Team, Wingate), Rebekah White (Third-Team, Carson-Newman) and Hannah Wolkenhauer (Third-Team, Queens University of Charlotte) rounded out the region.
 
Diaz is also the 74^th All-America(n) of any kind in the history of the program and the only one this year. Not only does her selection make it three straight years with an Academic All-America - a program first – it continues a stretch of at least one such honoree in 17 of the last 18 years. That run began in 2000-01 and was interrupted only once in 2009-10.

"This is an honor," said Diaz. "I'm humbled to have had my hard work recognized."
 
Student-athletes are nominated and selected to the Google Cloud Academic All-District Team by Sports Information Directors who are members of CoSIDA prior to consideration for Academic All-America recognition. Student-athletes selected as Academic All-District then move on to the All-American ballot which is voted on by SIDs.
 
ABOUT THE GOOGLE CLOUD ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA PROGRAM
The 2017-18 Google Cloud Division II Academic All-America Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), have been released to recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
 
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by their sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
 
Clayton State History of Academic All-America Selections
2017-18 – Joy Diaz (Women's Track & Field/Cross Country) – Third-Team
2016-17 – Maria Marti Bartis (Women's Soccer) – First-Team
2015-16 – Maria Marti Bartis (Women's Soccer) – First-Team
2011-12 – Robert Spezzacatena (Men's Track & Field/Cross Country) – Third-Team
 
2017-18 Google Cloud Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Teams
FIRST TEAM

Name	School	Yr.	GPA	Major
Kaitlyn Barber	Walsh	Sr.	3.97	Pre-PT
Sarah Berger	Walsh	Sr.	3.91	Pre-Med
Jena Black	Pittsburg State	Jr.	3.96	Political Science/Justice Studies
Valerie Griesche	Wingate	Sr.	4.0	Biology
Ashlyn Hanson	Chadron State	Sr.	4.0	Elementary Education
Allie Heckemeyer	Missouri Southern State	Sr.	4.0	Kinesiology
Summer Hill	California University of Pennsylvania	Gr.	3.89/3.91	Sports Mgmt. (UG)/Exercise Sci. & Health Promotion (G)
Sasha Hovind	Northern State	Sr.	4.0	Elementary Education
Alicja Konieczek	Western State Colorado	Sr.	3.85	Exercise & Sport Science/Exercise Science
Caroline Kurgat	Alaska Anchorage	Sr.	3.58	Medical Lab Tech & Nursing
Jasmine McMullin	Western Washington	Gr.	3.94/4.00	English (UG)/Elementary Education (G)
Christina Metzger	Pittsburg State	Sr.	4.0	Music
Molly Reicher	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	3.96	Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
Leah Seivert	Augustana	Sr.	4.0	Elementary Education
Megan Wenham	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	4.0	Mechanical Engineering

SECOND-TEAM

Name	School	Yr.	GPA	Major
Abby Berends	Union	Sr.	4.0	Special Education
Janey Berends	Union	Sr.	4.0	Spanish & Language Linguistics
Emeline Delanis	California Baptist	Jr.	3.89	Business Admin
Kendall Fitzgerald	Post	So.	3.98	Biology
Karlie Garcia	Chico State	Sr.	4.0	Child Development
Hailey Gillispie	Rogers State	Sr.	4.0	Marketing
Chelsea Hayward	Roberts Wesleyan	Sr.	3.72	Nursing
Michaela Hesse	University of Minnesota Duluth	Jr.	4.0	Communicative Science & Disorders
Marina LeVine	Embry-Riddle (Fla.)	Gr.	4.0/3.60	MBA
Raianne Mason	Harding	Sr.	4.0	Public Relations
Colett Rampf	Saint Leo	Gr.	3.79/3.82	MBA
Angela Ritter	Grand Valley State	Sr.	3.71	Biomedical Science
Carly Rose	Cedarville	Sr.	4.0	Management Finance
Emi Trost	University of Minnesota Duluth	Sr.	3.79	Exercise & Sports Science
Talya Williams	LIU Post	Sr.	3.97	Criminal Justice

 
THIRD-TEAM

Name	School	Yr.	GPA	Major
Mary Alderson	Wayne State College	Gr.	4.0/4.0	Chemistry/Health Science
Kameron Burmeister	Northern Michigan University	Sr.	3.7	Nursing
Chloe Cook	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	3.88	Metallurgical & Materials Engineering
Joy Diaz	Clayton State University	Sr.	4.0	Theatre
McKenzie Fagan	Kutztown University	Sr.	3.96	Special Education
Julie Friend	California University of Pennsylvania	Gr.	3.42/3.90	Biology (UG)/Exercise Sci. & Health Promotion (G)
Kaitlyn Germanoksi	Seton Hill University	Jr.	3.97	Art
Shakera Hall	Saint Augustine's University	Sr.	3.94	Business Administration
Shayla Huebner	Northern Michigan University	Jr.	3.91	Sports Science
Amy McKelvey	Union University	Sr.	4.0	Teaching & Learning
Marion Presigny	Academy of Art University	Gr.	3.75/3.87	Fashion Journalism
Karrington Seals	Wayne State University	Sr.	3.66	Biological Sciences
Eileen Stressling (3)	Azusa Pacific University	Sr.	3.69	Music
Magaly Tshipopo	Saint Augustine's University	Sr.	3.77	Communications
Rebekah White	Carson-Newman University	Jr.	4.0	Exercise Science
Hannah Wolkenhauer	Queens (N.C)	Jr.	3.81	Nursing