Two of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's standout distance runners - Albion's Cassie Vince and Calvin's Katie Diekema - who have garnered multiple MIAA titles and All-America accolades during their prolific running careers, were honored May 28 with selection to the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Division III Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Both Vince and Diekema were voted to the All-District 6 team and are now eligible for Google Cloud Academic All-America® honors.
Vince, an exercise science major who graduated Summa Cum Laude in May, raced to a 10th place finish in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship in November and fifth place in the 5,000 meters during the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March. Along the way, Vince was named the MIAA Most Valuable Runner in cross country and the Great Lakes Region Track Athletic of the Year for the indoor season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Diekema, fresh off an All-America performance in the 1,500m run at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships last week, owns a 3.88 grade-point average in engineering. Diekema's third-place finish in the 1,500m run was the third top-five finish for the Kenmore, Washington native at an NCAA Championship and fourth All-America performance (2018 NCAA Outdoor, 4th, 1,500m run; 2019 NCAA Indoor, 3rd, 1-Mile run; 2018 NCAA Cross Country, 16th).
The 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams, selected by CoSIDA, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The Google Cloud Academic All-America® program separately recognizes outstanding student-athletes in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
CoSIDA's NCAA Division III District 6 includes Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Members of CoSIDA from the district vote on Academic All-District honors. Student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 GPA on a 4.0 scale and must have completed one full calendar year at the nominating institution to be eligible.
CoSIDA 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Women's Track & Field/Cross Country teams (pdf)
MIAA Student-Athletes Honored by CoSIDA
Albion: Cassie Vince - Story link
Calvin: Katie Diekema - Story link
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