North Carolina State University Athletics
Bistritz, Chmiel, Gaynor, Steelman Earn CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors
7/15/2021 12:00:00 PM | Track, Cross Country
RALEIGH - Two women and two men from the NC State track & field and cross country programs have been named to their respective 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-Distritct Track & Field/Cross Country Teams, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. The Academic All-District Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom.
Joe Bistritz, Kelsey Chmiel, Gavin Gaynor and Hannah Steelman each garnered a spot on the teams. The pair of women's honors mark the third-straight season in which the NC State women's program has had at least one student-athlete named to the Academic All-District Team.
The honor is the first of his career for Bistritz, a non-deegree seeking student with a 4.00 GPA. The redshirt senior holds a host of athletic honors, include a pair of cross country All-ACC laurels (2017, 2020) as well as two All-Region Cross Country Team selections in 2017 and 2018. Bistritz was named to the 2020 All-ACC Academic Team and is a two-time qualifier to the NCAA East Preliminary. The Chagrin Falls, Ohio, native raced for NC State in every meet of the 2020 cross country season, including the ACC Championships and the NCAA Championships.
Chmiel earns her first All-District selection as well and maintains a 4.00 GPA in animal science. Although only a sophomore on the track and course, Chmiel has attained four All-America honors that include cross country recognitions in 2019 and 2020 as well as indoor and outdoor honors in 2021. Chmiel owns four All-ACC honors and qualified to the NCAA East Preliminary in two events in the 2021 season. The Saratoga Springs, N.Y., native is a five-time All-ACC Academic selection in addition to a two-time USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic individual honoree.
Gaynor, a chemical engineering major with an undergraduate GPA of 3.73 and a graduate GPA of 3.62, also tabs the accolade for the first time in his career. A distance runner, Gaynor has tabbed three All-ACC Cross Country honors (2018, 2019, 2020) in addition to two All-Region Cross Country Team laurels (2018, 2019). The graduate student has qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary in the steeplechase twice, competing at the meet in 2018 and 2019. Gaynor maintains three All-ACC Academic Cross Country Team honors (2018, 2019, 2020) alongside 2019 and 2020 USTFCCCA All-Academic individual citations.
A nine-time All-American, Steelman garners the first All-District honors of her career. The psychology major holds a GPA of 3.74. Steelman transferred to NC State for the 2020-21 season, arriving after a decorated career at Wofford. In her first season with the Wolfpack, she attained All-America honors in cross country, the indoor 5000m and the outdoor 3000m steeplechase. Steelman took home the 2021 ACC individual title in the 3000m steeplechase with a time that set personal, school, facility and meet records. In 2020, the Orono, Maine, native collected ACC Cross Country Runner of the Year, ACC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year and USTFCCCA Southeast Region Cross Country Athlete of the Year accolades in addition to her three All-ACC honors over the course of the year. The junior additionally earned three All-ACC Academic Team laurels in her first year at NC State.
With the honors, all four student-athletes will now be considered for CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. First, second and third teams will be announced in mid-August.
#GoPack | @Wolfpack_TF
Joe Bistritz, Kelsey Chmiel, Gavin Gaynor and Hannah Steelman each garnered a spot on the teams. The pair of women's honors mark the third-straight season in which the NC State women's program has had at least one student-athlete named to the Academic All-District Team.
The honor is the first of his career for Bistritz, a non-deegree seeking student with a 4.00 GPA. The redshirt senior holds a host of athletic honors, include a pair of cross country All-ACC laurels (2017, 2020) as well as two All-Region Cross Country Team selections in 2017 and 2018. Bistritz was named to the 2020 All-ACC Academic Team and is a two-time qualifier to the NCAA East Preliminary. The Chagrin Falls, Ohio, native raced for NC State in every meet of the 2020 cross country season, including the ACC Championships and the NCAA Championships.
Chmiel earns her first All-District selection as well and maintains a 4.00 GPA in animal science. Although only a sophomore on the track and course, Chmiel has attained four All-America honors that include cross country recognitions in 2019 and 2020 as well as indoor and outdoor honors in 2021. Chmiel owns four All-ACC honors and qualified to the NCAA East Preliminary in two events in the 2021 season. The Saratoga Springs, N.Y., native is a five-time All-ACC Academic selection in addition to a two-time USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic individual honoree.
Gaynor, a chemical engineering major with an undergraduate GPA of 3.73 and a graduate GPA of 3.62, also tabs the accolade for the first time in his career. A distance runner, Gaynor has tabbed three All-ACC Cross Country honors (2018, 2019, 2020) in addition to two All-Region Cross Country Team laurels (2018, 2019). The graduate student has qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary in the steeplechase twice, competing at the meet in 2018 and 2019. Gaynor maintains three All-ACC Academic Cross Country Team honors (2018, 2019, 2020) alongside 2019 and 2020 USTFCCCA All-Academic individual citations.
A nine-time All-American, Steelman garners the first All-District honors of her career. The psychology major holds a GPA of 3.74. Steelman transferred to NC State for the 2020-21 season, arriving after a decorated career at Wofford. In her first season with the Wolfpack, she attained All-America honors in cross country, the indoor 5000m and the outdoor 3000m steeplechase. Steelman took home the 2021 ACC individual title in the 3000m steeplechase with a time that set personal, school, facility and meet records. In 2020, the Orono, Maine, native collected ACC Cross Country Runner of the Year, ACC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year and USTFCCCA Southeast Region Cross Country Athlete of the Year accolades in addition to her three All-ACC honors over the course of the year. The junior additionally earned three All-ACC Academic Team laurels in her first year at NC State.
With the honors, all four student-athletes will now be considered for CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. First, second and third teams will be announced in mid-August.
#GoPack | @Wolfpack_TF
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