Women's Track & Field | May 31, 2023

KANSAS CITY – The College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced on Wednesday its selections for Academic All-District for Track & Field/Cross Country.  The Lakers men's and women's teams saw four selections. 


On the men's side, Abijah Wilcox earned his second-straight Academic All-District selection while the women saw Stephanie Escobar, Sasha Knowles, and Ny'Asia Green earn their first such distinction. The Lakers, on the men's side, are only one of three Peach Belt Conference (PBC) schools to land one or more selections on the list, while they are one four PBC schools on the women's side. 
 
A native of Albany, Ga., Wilcox had an outstanding career as a Laker.  Off the track, Abijah is a two-time D2CCA Academic Distinction, PBC Presidential Honor roll, and PBC Team of Academic selection.  On the track, Wilcox earned all-conference honors in the triple jump in the 2022 PBC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.  This season, Abijah placed fourth in the PBC in the triple jump and eighth in the long jump.  Throughout his career, Wilcox earned 27 top-five finishes and pick up two victories in the triple jump in the 2021-22 season. 
 
Wilcox is the first Laker to gather back-to-back CSC Academic All-District honors and can become the first Laker since the 2011-12 season to earn All-America honors. Earlier this season, Wilcox was awarded the H. Mason Barfield Male Academic Award, which is awarded to a senior male athlete that achieved the highest GPA in the department.   
 
A native of Forest City, Ga., Escobar compete on the cross country team for five seasons that span from 2018 to 2022.  In those five seasons, Stephanie is a four-time PBC Team of Academic Distinction selection and is a two-time PBC Presidential Honor Roll and D2ADA Academic Distinction selection. Escobar ran in 24 races during her career. 
 
A native of Nassau, the Bahamas, Sasha Knowles also had a very decorated career for the Lakers.  In her four-year cross country career, Knowles gathered three PBC Team of Academic Distinction honors and was a two-time D2ADA Academic Achievement selection.  On the track side, Knowles is a two-time D2CCA Academic Achievement, PBC Team of Academic Distinction and PBC Presidential Honor Roll selection.  On the track, Sasha earned all-conference honors in the 4x400 meter relay in the 2021 Outdoor Championships.  In her career, Knowles ran the middle distance races and competed in her first ever Heptathlon in the 2023 Outdoor Championships earning fourth place. Earlier this season, Sasha was awarded the Dotty M. Bumbalough & Pat Keene Female Academic Athlete of the Year, which is an award given to a senior student-athlete that earned the highest GPA in the department. 
 
A native of Martinez, Ga., Green is one of the best female jumpers that this program has ever seen.  In the classroom, Ny'Asia is a two-time D2CCA Academic Achievement and PBC Team of Academic Distinction selection while earning PBC Presidential Honor Roll mention in 2022.  On the track, Green is four-time All-Conference honoree earning two of those in the triple jump and the others in the long jump and the 4x100 meter relay. The College Sports Communicators (CSC) announces its Academic All-America selections on June 29^th at noon (EST). 
 
In all, the Department of Athletics saw 11 CSC Academic All-District selections which is most in a single year in program history.  The women's Track & Field/Cross Country teams tied with men's soccer for the most selections in the 2022-23 academic year. 
 
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