5 Flames, Both Liberty Teams Earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Recognition
7/16/2020 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
The 2020 Liberty men's and women's track & field squads were each recognized as U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams. Meanwhile, five Flames and Lady Flames garnered USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
Liberty's individual All-Academic honorees include redshirt senior Jovaine Atkinson, redshirt senior Bradley Prentice, senior Tanner Ealum, sophomore Makenzy Mizera and senior Cortney Strohman.
Atkinson, Ealum and Strohman each earned USTFCCCA All-Academic recognition for the third consecutive year. Prior to this year, Liberty's only three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees in program history were Elliot Galeone (2009, 2010 and 2011) and Jennifer Klugh (2010, 2011 and 2012).
Both Liberty teams earned the USTFCCCA All-Academic designation by virtue of maintaining a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Lady Flames finished Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Brant Tolsma's final year at 3.43, while the Flames checked in at 3.02.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team individually, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and have met at least one of the following athletic standards. For the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or in the national top 48 in a relay event.
Atkinson recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in aeronautics, maintaining a 3.82 GPA. The Spanish Town, Jamaica native has earned numerous academic honors in 2020, headlined by a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America second team. Atkinson was voted the Flames' first-ever ASUN Men's Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was also included on the VaSID Academic All-State Team.
On the track, Atkinson won the men's 60 hurdles at five of his seven competitions in 2020, highlighted by his victory in the ASUN final. He set a meet record with his 7.76 clocking during the ASUN 60 hurdles prelims. Atkinson's season-best time of 7.75 ranked No. 18 in the NCAA at season's end.
Prentice graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in nursing and a 3.37 GPA. Now a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection (also 2018), the Virginia Beach, Va., native was voted to the 2020 ASUN Men's Indoor Track & Field All-Academic Team. Prentice placed second at the ASUN Indoor Track & Field Championships in both the men's 800 and distance medley relay this season. His 1:51.06 clocking at the South Carolina Invitational ranks No. 2 on Liberty's all-time indoor 800 list.
The second straight nursing major on this list, Ealum graduated in May with a 3.49 GPA. She won two events (women's 800 and distance medley relay) at the ASUN meet while anchoring the women's 4 x 400 relay squad to second place. A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Ealum set meet and facility records with her ASUN-winning 800 time of 2:06.64.
Mizera, who boasts a 3.74 GPA, has yet to declare a major. She was the 2020 ASUN indoor women's long jump champion and triple jump runner-up. During the indoor campaign, the native of Maryville, Mo., broke program records for both the long jump (19-4.75) and triple jump (41-10.75). Mizera also garnered VaSID first team all-state honors in the jumps.
A Pierre, S.D., native, Strohman graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and a 3.73 GPA. She was the 2020 ASUN indoor champion in the women's 400 and distance medley relay, while placing second in the 4 x 400 relay. Strohman set a program record with her 300 time of 38.94 during the Liberty Flames Invite.
