SPOKANE, Wash. – Ten members of Gonzaga's Cross Country and Track & Field teams were named to the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District Team for 2023-24, the outlet announced on Tuesday.
 
Alicia Anderson, Bailee Carr, Willow Collins, Kristen Garcia, and Brittney Hansen of the women's team, and Sean Janecko, Cooper Laird, Carp Mukai, Will Thorsett, and Ansel Tucker of the men's team earned Academic All-District nods on Tuesday.
 
Anderson is pursuing a Business Administration graduate degree, holding a 3.99 GPA after completing her undergraduate degree with a perfect 4.0. This spring, Anderson concluded her Gonzaga career with her third-straight NCAA West Prelims 1500m appearance and fourth overall. She is a three-time West Coast Conference All-Academic First Team recipient and was named Gonzaga's Co-Female Scholar Athlete of the Year this Spring.
 
Joining the Zags just this year, Carr immediately became a staple in Gonzaga's short distance running on the oval. Carr now holds the program second-fastest times in three indoor events (400m, 600m, 800m) and one outdoor event (800m). She is completing her Masters in Accountancy degree with a 3.91 GPA after holding an impressive 3.98 cumulative GPA at Colorado State.
 
Collins also completed her first year with Gonzaga Track, earning a spot at the NCAA West Prelims in the 5,000-meter Semifinals. She has already put herself within the program's top ranks in five different events, including holding the record in the indoor 3000-meters. Compiling a perfect 4.0 GPA while pursuing a degree in Journalism, Collins joined Anderson as a Co-Female Scholar Athlete of the Year recipient this Spring.
 
In her final season with the Zags this Spring, Garcia completed her Masters in Organizational Leadership degree with a 3.85 cumulative GPA, including a 3.56 undergraduate GPA at Gonzaga in previous years. Garcia's career for the Bulldogs included two Cross Country All-West Region honors, two XC Nationals Appearances, three NCAA 10,000-meter Semifinal appearance and one 5,000-meter Semifinal appearance. She was also named to the WCC All-Academic First Team on three different occasions and a USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree twice.
 
Hansen also departs Gonzaga with a Masters in Organizational Leadership and a 3.88 cumulative GPA, including a 3.79 undergraduate GPA for the Zags. Last fall, Hansen earned her first WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention nod after a successful season in the classroom as well as in cross country where she placed 64th at the NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento. Her name is inked into five different program top ten lists on the oval.
 
A redshirt freshman out of Boise, Idaho, Janecko earns his first All-Academic nod after a breakout outdoor season in the steeplechase for the Zags, narrowly missing a spot at the NCAA West Prelims. Throughout the indoor and outdoor track seasons, Janecko PR'd in five of his seven events, including a 3K steeple PR in his final race of the season. He is pursuing degrees in both Business Administration and Psychology while holding a 3.73 cumulative GPA.
 
Laird is coming off his third-straight NCAA West Prelims appearance in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase this Spring and was a major part of the cross country team's big run to the NCAA Championships last fall, placing 37th at the West Regionals. Additionally, he earned WCC All-Academic First Team after the season and holds a 3.90 GPA while pursuing a degree in Psychology.
 
Mukai is a Kinesiology major with a 3.55 GPA for Gonzaga and is coming off an impressive season in the 800-meters this Spring. Narrowly missing a spot at the NCAA West Prelims, Mukai threw down multiple 800m times that rank highly in the program's history, including a PR 1:51.49 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April.
 
Thorsett is a Civil Engineering major with a 3.65 GPA who ran a West Region Top-50 time at the Bryan Clay Invitational to qualify for CSC's Academic All-District honors. Throughout the track season, Thorsett earned PRs in seven different events.
 
Tucker, an English major with a 3.73 GPA, also qualified for CSC's Academic All-District honors with a West Region Top-50 10K time in Azusa. Tucker earned PRs in three events this Spring after a respectable season last Fall that included a second-place finish at the Whitman Invitational in Walla Walla, Wash.
 
The 2024 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Track & Field teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the track, in the field, and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes men's track & field honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.