NEW ORLEANS - The Anderson University women's cross country team was recently recognized as an All-Academic team by the by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Whitney Bishoff, Emily Eckroth, Amanda Johnson and Hannah Robles each earned the accolade from the Trojan squad.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All‐Academic Track and Field Team in Division II, the student‐athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or greater through the most‐recent semester, completed at least 12 credit hours in the semester of cross country competition, and placed in the top 50 percent at the most recent NCAA National Championships or in the top 30 percent at the NCAA Regional Championships.

A total of 354 student‐athletes represent the 117 institutions that compose the group. Among the nation's squads, seven earned six All‐Academic honors for the season, including Western State, Saginaw Valley State, Philadelphia, Edinboro, UMary, Grand Valley State, and Adams State. Another 19 teams notched five on the All‐Academic list. Among conferences, the PSAC led them all with 58 honorees, followed by the GLIAC's 37.

All of the top 12 finishers from the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the fall earned All‐Academic honors, including the top eight overall finishers which each have a cumulative GPA of 3.70 or better.

In January, the women's cross country team claimed AU Athletics' Dr. Shirley Jacks Academic Excellence Award for the fourth consecutive semester, which is presented to the team that possesses the highest grade point average for each semester.

The team posted a stellar 3.65 grade point average for the fall semester of 201l, continuing to perform both in the classroom and on the course - last fall the Trojans captured their second straight South Atlantic Conference Championship, as the Trojans outdistanced former two-time champion Lenoir-Rhyne. Head Coach Randy Greer was named Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year, while senior standout Whitney Bishoff earned back-to-back First-team All-Conference honors.

Bishoff also earned the Elite 89 award for the NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country Championship last fall after also winning the award last March at the 2011 Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Elite 89 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.