NEW ORLEANS – As summer draws to a close and the fall semester just days away, the academic accolades from the 2010-11 continue to roll in for Chico State student-athletes. No less than seven Wildcats were honored this week by the United States Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), naming them to the 2011 Division II All-Academic Track and Field Team.

Chico State’s Manny Mejia and Daniel Parker were among 162 student-athletes representing 63 D-II institutions to earn USTFCCCA Men’s All-Academic Track and Field Team status. For Mejia, it’s the second straight year he’s been honored; earlier in the season, Mejia was also named to the USTFCCCA’s Men’s All-Academic Cross Country Team.

Five Wildcats – Anna Eicholtz, Alia Gray, Kara Lubieniecki, Shannon Rich and Ashley Webster – were named to the USTFCCCA Women’s All-Academic Track and Field Team. A total of 311 student-athletes representing 80 institutions compose the group.

Gray, Lubieniecki and Rich have each won back-to-back All-Academic Track and Field honors. Lubieniecki and Rich are also two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team honorees.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met an NCAA automatic or provisional qualifying mark in an individual or relay event at some point in either indoor or outdoor seasons.