University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
10 Bulldogs Earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Honors
05.31.2023 | Track and Field
FULL COLLEGE SPORTS COMMUNICATORS RELEASE
Greenwood, Ind. - 10 UNC Asheville student-athletes earned Academic All-District® honors by College Sports Communicators, announced by the organization today (Wednesday, May 31). Â
On the men's side, Asheville's award winners were senior John Ciprich, senior Nathaniel Edwards, junior Yates Hockaday, junior Dylan Major and junior Zac Weas. On the women's side, Asheville had sophomore Ashlynn Brown, junior Raina Jackson, senior Brianna Moore, fifth-year Claudia Prieto and sophomore Madeline Wittschen.
To receive Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore both athletically and academically, have been at their institution for at least one calendar year if a transfer, played in at least 50 percent of their team's contests and maintain at least a cumulative 3.50 grade point average.
Ciprich ran in five cross country races this year, posting two top-five finishes including a win at the Winthrop Adidas Cross Country Invitational (Sept. 17) in the 8k, later earning Big South Conference Co-Runner of the Week honors. Ciprich also ran in six track meets this season, collecting three top-10 finishes including a win in the 5000-meter run at the Montreat College Open. He later earned All-Big South Conference Third Team honors in the outdoor 3000-meter steeplechase, running a personal-best 9:14.02 at the Big South Conference Outdoor Championships.
This is Ciprich's first career Academic All-District honor. The Monroe, N.C. native holds a 3.71 grade point average in chemistry.
Edwards ran in all five cross country races as a senior, while also competing in nine track meets. On the track, he collected six Top-10 finishes this season, and was also named to the 2023 Big South Conference Indoor Track and Field All-Academic Team. Over the course of the year, Edwards set personal bests in the 800m (1:58.14), 1500m (4:03.05), One Mile Run (4:29.09) and the 3000m (8:53.42). Edwards was also nominated for the Big South Conference Christenberry Award, which honors students with the highest cumulative GPA from each Big South Conference-sponsored sport.
This is Edwards's first career Academic All-District honor. The Morgantown, W. Va. native holds a 3.91 grade point average in chemistry with a minor in neuroscience.
Hockaday participated in five cross country races this past season, as well as four track meets. During cross country season, he collected two Top-20 finishes, while earning six Top-10 finishes on the track. He set a new personal best in the 3000m (8:32.08) at the Big South Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25) where he finished sixth in the event.
This is Hockaday's first career Academic All-District honor. The Weaverville, N.C. native holds a 3.55 grade point average in political science with a minor in legal studies.Â
Major ran in five cross country races this season, posting a 10th-place finish at the Winthrop Adidas Cross Country Invitational (Sept. 17). He also ran in two track meets on the season, posting a pair of 16th-place finishes in the 500m at the VMI Winter Open (Jan. 27-28) and the Samford Bulldog Open (Feb. 11). In the classroom, Major was a 2023 recipient of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship as well as a member of the 2023 Big South Conference Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic Team.
This is Major's first career Academic All-District honor. The Falls Church, Va. native holds a 3.98 grade point average double-majoring in atmospheric science and computer science, along with a minor in mathematics.
Weas ran in 12 track meets this past season, collecting 22 Top-10 finishes including four wins in various events. He matched his personal best in the 55-meter hurdles (7.47) winning the event at the John Weaver Invitational (Dec. 2-3). He also set a personal best in the 60m hurdles (7.95) to win the event at the Big South Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25). He collected two wins in the 110m hurdles at both the Montreat College Open (14.30, Mar. 24-25) and the Catamount Classic (14.25, Apr. 14-15) before setting a new personal best in a third-place finish at the Georgia Tech Invitational (14.14, Apr. 21-22). For his efforts at the Georgia Tech event, he was named the Big South Conference Track Athlete of the Week. In total, he was an All-Conference First Team selection in the indoor 60m hurdles, a Third Team All-Conference selection in the outdoor 4x100m relay and a Third Team All-Conference selection in the outdoor 110m hurdles.
This is Weas's first career Academic All-District honor. The Asheville, N.C. native holds a 3.72 grade point average in environmental science.
Brown competed in six track meets this season, posting two Top-10 finishes on the year. She finished seventh in the pentathlon at the Big South Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25) after finishing sixth in the 60m hurdles, seventh in the high jump, seventh in the shot put and seventh in the 800. Her other Top-10 finish on the season came at the Montreat College Open (Mar. 24-25), where she finished 10th in the 100m hurdles (18.67) to set a new personal best. She also set personal bests in the 60m hurdles (10.8) and the long jump (4.41) at the Samford Bulldog Open (Feb. 11).
This is Brown's first career Academic All-District honor. The Asheboro, N.C. native holds a 3.65 grade point average in accounting.
Jackson participated in 11 meets this season, collecting nine Top-10 finishes including three wins. Her first win of the season came at the John Weaver Invitational (Dec. 2-3), where she won the shot put with a throw of 14.59 meters. She then won the shot put again at the Charlotte 49er Classic (Mar. 16-18) with a throw of 14.06 meters, before winning the event a third time at the Montreat College Open (Mar. 24-25) with a throw of 13.17 meters. She also set a personal best in the javelin throw at the Catamount Classic (Apr. 14-15) with a mark of 20.29 meters.
This is Jackson's first career Academic All-District honor. The Columbus, Ohio native holds a 3.60 grade point average in management with a minor in psychology.
Moore competed in 12 meets this season, collecting 18 Top-10 finishes including two wins. Her first win of the season came in the javelin throw at the Montreat College Open (Mar. 24-25), with a mark of 41.88 meters. Her second win of the season came in the javelin throw at the Diesels Last Chacne Meet (May 14) with a throw of 40.53 meters. On the season, she set personal bests in the javelin throw (43.80m) at the Georgia Tech Invitational (Apr. 21-22) and the long jump (5.69m) at the Big South Conference Outdoor Championships (May 10-12). She was also a Second Team All-Conference selection in the outdoor javelin throw.
This is Moore's first career Academic All-District honor. The Murphy, N.C. native holds a 3.99 grade point average in health and wellness promotion.
Prieto participated in 11 meets this season, notching 27 Top-10 finishes and seven victories. She posted a win in the long jump (5.92m) at the VMI Winter Classic (Jan. 27-28), before winning the long jump (6.03m) at the Big South Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25). She went on to win both the long jump (5.86m) and the triple jump (12.44m) at the Catamount Classic (Apr. 14-15), before winning the long jump (6.12m) at the Big South Conference Outdoor Championships (May 10-12) and then again at the Diesels Last Chance Meet (6.23m, May 14). She qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary for the second straight year, along with All-Conference honors in the outdoor long jump (First Team), outdoor triple jump (Second Team) and the indoor triple jump (Second Team). She was also the Big South Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for both Indoor and Outdoor Track.
This is Prieto's first career Academic All-District honor. The Madrid, Spain native holds a 3.97 grade point average in health and wellness promotion.
Wittschen ran in five cross country races this year, along with 10 track meets. On the track, she notched six Top-10 finishes on the season. She set personal bests on the year in the 3000-meter run (10:42.97), 5000-meter run (18:01.15) and the 10000-meter run (38:23.88).
This is Wittschen's first career Academic All-District honor. The Knoxville, Tenn. native holds a 3.92 grade point average in music technology.
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Greenwood, Ind. - 10 UNC Asheville student-athletes earned Academic All-District® honors by College Sports Communicators, announced by the organization today (Wednesday, May 31). Â
On the men's side, Asheville's award winners were senior John Ciprich, senior Nathaniel Edwards, junior Yates Hockaday, junior Dylan Major and junior Zac Weas. On the women's side, Asheville had sophomore Ashlynn Brown, junior Raina Jackson, senior Brianna Moore, fifth-year Claudia Prieto and sophomore Madeline Wittschen.
To receive Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore both athletically and academically, have been at their institution for at least one calendar year if a transfer, played in at least 50 percent of their team's contests and maintain at least a cumulative 3.50 grade point average.
Ciprich ran in five cross country races this year, posting two top-five finishes including a win at the Winthrop Adidas Cross Country Invitational (Sept. 17) in the 8k, later earning Big South Conference Co-Runner of the Week honors. Ciprich also ran in six track meets this season, collecting three top-10 finishes including a win in the 5000-meter run at the Montreat College Open. He later earned All-Big South Conference Third Team honors in the outdoor 3000-meter steeplechase, running a personal-best 9:14.02 at the Big South Conference Outdoor Championships.
This is Ciprich's first career Academic All-District honor. The Monroe, N.C. native holds a 3.71 grade point average in chemistry.
Edwards ran in all five cross country races as a senior, while also competing in nine track meets. On the track, he collected six Top-10 finishes this season, and was also named to the 2023 Big South Conference Indoor Track and Field All-Academic Team. Over the course of the year, Edwards set personal bests in the 800m (1:58.14), 1500m (4:03.05), One Mile Run (4:29.09) and the 3000m (8:53.42). Edwards was also nominated for the Big South Conference Christenberry Award, which honors students with the highest cumulative GPA from each Big South Conference-sponsored sport.
This is Edwards's first career Academic All-District honor. The Morgantown, W. Va. native holds a 3.91 grade point average in chemistry with a minor in neuroscience.
Hockaday participated in five cross country races this past season, as well as four track meets. During cross country season, he collected two Top-20 finishes, while earning six Top-10 finishes on the track. He set a new personal best in the 3000m (8:32.08) at the Big South Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25) where he finished sixth in the event.
This is Hockaday's first career Academic All-District honor. The Weaverville, N.C. native holds a 3.55 grade point average in political science with a minor in legal studies.Â
Major ran in five cross country races this season, posting a 10th-place finish at the Winthrop Adidas Cross Country Invitational (Sept. 17). He also ran in two track meets on the season, posting a pair of 16th-place finishes in the 500m at the VMI Winter Open (Jan. 27-28) and the Samford Bulldog Open (Feb. 11). In the classroom, Major was a 2023 recipient of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship as well as a member of the 2023 Big South Conference Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic Team.
This is Major's first career Academic All-District honor. The Falls Church, Va. native holds a 3.98 grade point average double-majoring in atmospheric science and computer science, along with a minor in mathematics.
Weas ran in 12 track meets this past season, collecting 22 Top-10 finishes including four wins in various events. He matched his personal best in the 55-meter hurdles (7.47) winning the event at the John Weaver Invitational (Dec. 2-3). He also set a personal best in the 60m hurdles (7.95) to win the event at the Big South Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25). He collected two wins in the 110m hurdles at both the Montreat College Open (14.30, Mar. 24-25) and the Catamount Classic (14.25, Apr. 14-15) before setting a new personal best in a third-place finish at the Georgia Tech Invitational (14.14, Apr. 21-22). For his efforts at the Georgia Tech event, he was named the Big South Conference Track Athlete of the Week. In total, he was an All-Conference First Team selection in the indoor 60m hurdles, a Third Team All-Conference selection in the outdoor 4x100m relay and a Third Team All-Conference selection in the outdoor 110m hurdles.
This is Weas's first career Academic All-District honor. The Asheville, N.C. native holds a 3.72 grade point average in environmental science.
Brown competed in six track meets this season, posting two Top-10 finishes on the year. She finished seventh in the pentathlon at the Big South Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25) after finishing sixth in the 60m hurdles, seventh in the high jump, seventh in the shot put and seventh in the 800. Her other Top-10 finish on the season came at the Montreat College Open (Mar. 24-25), where she finished 10th in the 100m hurdles (18.67) to set a new personal best. She also set personal bests in the 60m hurdles (10.8) and the long jump (4.41) at the Samford Bulldog Open (Feb. 11).
This is Brown's first career Academic All-District honor. The Asheboro, N.C. native holds a 3.65 grade point average in accounting.
Jackson participated in 11 meets this season, collecting nine Top-10 finishes including three wins. Her first win of the season came at the John Weaver Invitational (Dec. 2-3), where she won the shot put with a throw of 14.59 meters. She then won the shot put again at the Charlotte 49er Classic (Mar. 16-18) with a throw of 14.06 meters, before winning the event a third time at the Montreat College Open (Mar. 24-25) with a throw of 13.17 meters. She also set a personal best in the javelin throw at the Catamount Classic (Apr. 14-15) with a mark of 20.29 meters.
This is Jackson's first career Academic All-District honor. The Columbus, Ohio native holds a 3.60 grade point average in management with a minor in psychology.
Moore competed in 12 meets this season, collecting 18 Top-10 finishes including two wins. Her first win of the season came in the javelin throw at the Montreat College Open (Mar. 24-25), with a mark of 41.88 meters. Her second win of the season came in the javelin throw at the Diesels Last Chacne Meet (May 14) with a throw of 40.53 meters. On the season, she set personal bests in the javelin throw (43.80m) at the Georgia Tech Invitational (Apr. 21-22) and the long jump (5.69m) at the Big South Conference Outdoor Championships (May 10-12). She was also a Second Team All-Conference selection in the outdoor javelin throw.
This is Moore's first career Academic All-District honor. The Murphy, N.C. native holds a 3.99 grade point average in health and wellness promotion.
Prieto participated in 11 meets this season, notching 27 Top-10 finishes and seven victories. She posted a win in the long jump (5.92m) at the VMI Winter Classic (Jan. 27-28), before winning the long jump (6.03m) at the Big South Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25). She went on to win both the long jump (5.86m) and the triple jump (12.44m) at the Catamount Classic (Apr. 14-15), before winning the long jump (6.12m) at the Big South Conference Outdoor Championships (May 10-12) and then again at the Diesels Last Chance Meet (6.23m, May 14). She qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary for the second straight year, along with All-Conference honors in the outdoor long jump (First Team), outdoor triple jump (Second Team) and the indoor triple jump (Second Team). She was also the Big South Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for both Indoor and Outdoor Track.
This is Prieto's first career Academic All-District honor. The Madrid, Spain native holds a 3.97 grade point average in health and wellness promotion.
Wittschen ran in five cross country races this year, along with 10 track meets. On the track, she notched six Top-10 finishes on the season. She set personal bests on the year in the 3000-meter run (10:42.97), 5000-meter run (18:01.15) and the 10000-meter run (38:23.88).
This is Wittschen's first career Academic All-District honor. The Knoxville, Tenn. native holds a 3.92 grade point average in music technology.
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