Christensen among five CMU track and field athletes to earn academic all-conference honors

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Senior discus thrower Katie Christensen has a chance to make some noise in the Mid-American Conference listings this weekend.

After being named to the Mid-American Conference all-academic team this week, Christensen will join her teammates when they travel to Norman, Okla., for the John Jacobs Invitational. Others will travel down the road to Midland to compete at Northwood University.

“This is a big opportunity to go against some big schools and great athletes,” Christensen said. “It’s going to push us.”

Christensen and senior distance runners Danielle Dakroub, Raeanne Lohner and Allie Sission were among five Chippewas — senior thrower John Calvert the other — to earn the honors. Christensen, a sports studies major, holds a 3.88 grade-point average in the sports studies master’s program.

“It’s very nice to be recognized for the most important part of a student-athlete which is getting a degree,” Lohner said. “It’s nice to be recognized with such a good group.”

Sission, a mathematics major, earned a 3.85 GPA. She ran a personal-best 2:14.99 in the 800-meter preliminaries during the indoor season.

“It’s a great honor because it incorporates your athletic accomplishments along with academics,” Sission said. “Being a student-athlete requires a lot of commitment.”

The four athletes for CMU were tied for the most for any school on All-MAC team. Bowling Green also had four athletes honored.

“It represents our school really well,” Dakroub said. “The soccer team has posted the highest GPA in the nation for six years and hearing stats like really makes you proud.”

The academic honors athletes receive really show how CMU’s programs give them an opportunity to succeed on and off the field.

“Being a student-athlete you get equipped with support staff and athletic services that do anything they can to help you academically,” Christensen said. “The track and field team does a good job holding you accountable.”

The group has being leading the Chippewas on and off the field for four years now and are a big reason for the success the Chippewas have seen in their time here.

“They have been working very hard over their career doing a great job academically and athletically,” Randolph said. “That honor is definitely appreciated. We are excited for them and expecting more from them later on.”

Eight other Chippewas were named to the Academic All-MAC honorable mention team, which consists of seniors Holly Anderson, Brittany Dixon, Mykal Imbrock; juniors Veronica Garcia, Stephanie Hurley, Misha Lamphere and Andrea Pawlowski and sophomore Maddie Ribant.