NEW ORLEANS, La. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University freshman cross country and track and field distance runner Courtney Calka (Livonia, Mich.-Stevenson) has been named a U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honoree, the committee announced Monday evening, March 1.
Calka, a 4.0 GPA in Exercise Science, was EMU's top runner in her first season with the Eagles, earning first-team All Mid-American Conference accolades after a sixth place finish at the 2009 MAC Cross Country Championships with a time of 22:35.6 to lead EMU to a sixth place finish – the best finish for the Eagles since the 2000 season (third place). Calka also earned All-Region accolades after a 17th place finish at the Great Lakes Regional, Nov. 14. She was named EMU's team MVP after her stellar season.
The 104 USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees represent 57 schools around the country. Nine were reported to have 4.0 cumulative GPAs at the end of the 2009 fall semester, including Calka.