GNAC release, with complete list

SEATTLE – Half a dozen Seattle Pacific senior athletes – Jessica Pixler, Lisa Anderberg, Jane Larson, Kate Harline, Justin Felt and Chad Meis – were three-peaters, and a total of 10 others joined them as first- or second-time honorees on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic track and field team.

Earning their second conference All-Academic awards are junior Jennifer Pike and Nate Wagner. Those joining the list for the first time are Ali Worthen, Lisette Peterson, Kayla Wilkins, Brittany Tri, Michaela Caldwell, Natalie Nobbs, Natty Plunkett and Nathanael Sleight.

Pixler (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake HS) has a 3.93 grade-point average as an English major. In addition to her 11 NCAA Division II athletic championships, she also has numerous academic honors. Among them, she is the three-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) D-2 cross country Academic Athlete of the Year, and is a two-time USTFCCCA indoor track Scholar Athlete of the Year.  She has received an NCAA post-graduate scholarship.

Anderberg (Edmonds, Wash./Kamiak HS)carries a 3.92 GPA as a global development studies major. She has run on three straight Seattle Pacific cross country NCAA trophy teams, and ran the third leg on the indoor track distance medley relay team that won the NCAA title in March. Anderberg is a two-time USTFCCCA Academic All-American.

Larson (Fall City, Wash./Cedar Park Christian HS) sports a 3.83 GPA in English. She led off the NCAA title-winning indoor distance medley relay team in March, was one of SPU's top three runners on its three consecutive NCAA cross country trophy teams, and a multiple-time USTFCCA cross country and track All-American. Larson also is a three-time USTFCCCA Academic All-American, and has an NCAA post-graduate scholarship in hand.

Harline (Orem, Utah) has a 3.61 GPA in religious studies. Like Pixler, Anderberg and Larson, Harline has run on each of the three Falcon cross country teams that came home with an NCAA trophy. This past winter, she ran at the NCAA indoor championships in the mile, and this spring, she was an NCAA provisional qualifier in the 1,500 meters. She is a three-time USTFCCCA Academic All-American.

Felt (Eugene, Ore.) is a computer science major with a 3.85 GPA. This spring, he won three outdoor meets in the long jump, and placed seventh at the GNAC championships. During the winter, Felt was a third-place finisher in the long jump at the GNAC indoor meet.

Meis (Renton, Wash./Seattle Christian HS) has a 3.51 GPA in electrical engineering. In last weekend's GNAC outdoor championships, Meis ran to a personal-best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to take third place. He was an NCAA provisional qualifier in that event. Meis earned USTFCCCA Academic All-American honors in 2008.

Pixler, Anderberg, Larson, Harline and Meis also are three-time GNAC All-Academic picks for cross country.

Pike (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview HS) is a junior who has a 3.68 GPA in biology. Wagner (Olympia, Wash./Northwest Christian HS) is a senior with a 3.41 GPA in exercise science.

For the first-time winners on the women's side, Plunkett (Bellevue, Wash./Newport HS) has a 3.94 in psychology; Worthen (Coos Bay, Ore.) has a 3.50 in integrated studies; Peterson (Eugene, Ore.) has a 3.47 in biology; Wilkins (Vancouver, Wash./Evergreen HS) has a 3.47 in physical education; Tri (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS) carries a 3.46 in accounting; Caldwell (Marysville, Wash./Marysville-Pilchuck HS) has a 3.41 in education certification, and Nobbs (Yakima, Wash./Riverside Christian HS) has a 3.35 in exercise science.

Sleight, the lone first-time selection for the SPU men, is a 3.53 physics major.

To earn a spot on the team, athletes must have at least a 3.2 grade-point average and be a provisional or automatic qualifier to the GNAC indoor or outdoor championships.