Albany, NY— Russell Sage College's women's track and field team has been saluted with the announcement of the All-Academic Teams for the 2021 NCAA Division III Women's Track and Field by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Under head coach David Taranto, the Gators maintained a 3.35 grade-point-average this year.

Sage's head coach track and field and cross country coach David Taranto said of the accomplishment, "Being named as an All-Academic team by the USTFCCCA is a great accomplishment." He continued, "It's great to see the dedication of our student athletes paying off, as they are a talented and hard working group of athletes who dedicate themselves to both running and academics. I'm looking forward to seeing them continue their academic and athletic success this coming season in cross country and next spring with the track and field programs!"

Loras was named the NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track & Field National Scholar Team of the Year after maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.412 and winning an epic battle for the national title in Greensboro, North Carolina. There wasn't an NCAA Division III Women's Indoor Track & Field National Scholar Team of the Year due to the cancellation of the NCAA Championships.

Each of the top-22 women's programs from the 2021 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships qualified for All-Academic distinction from the USTFCCCA.

Pomona-Pitzer Colleges had the best cumulative GPA out of any NCAA Division III Women's Program at 3.829, while Middlebury College and Bard College were right behind at 3.82.

Here is the criteria to be named an All-Academic Team:

Cumulative team GPA (not 2020-21 academic year, not semester) of all student-athletes who used a season of eligibility must be at least a 3.1 on a 4.0 scale through the most recent semester/quarter, computed by the following method:

Total the cumulative number of semester hours or quarter hours earned for all student-athletes who used a season of eligibility, including the most recent grading period;

Total the cumulative number of quality points (GPA multiplied by the number of credit hours) earned by all student-athletes who used a season of eligibility, including the most recent grading period;

Divide the cumulative number of quality points earned by the cumulative number of semester or quarter hours earned.

Institutions utilizing a different GPA scale than 4.0 then must convert the GPA to a 4.0 scale using the standard conversion method [GPA/Scale x 4.0]. Data must be certifiable by the institution's registrar.

Graduate students must take all undergraduate plus graduate coursework into account.