TOWSON, Md. – Three student-athletes from the Towson University track & field team were named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic team that was announced Thursday afternoon.

Lauren Coleman, Crystal Johnson and Elisia Lancaster were all eligible for the individual awards after having grade point averages above a 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.

In addition, thanks to a 3.23 grade point average, the Tigers were honored with the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Award.  

In order to be eligible for the individual award, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and must have must have finished the season ranked in the top 96 in any championship individual event, or in the top 48 in any championship relay event, for the most recent indoor season, certifiable by their place on the NCAA Division I descending order lists on TFRRS for Indoor Track and Field (including performances achieved outside the qualifying window during the indoor season).

Overall, there were 659 women from 178 institutions who were named All-Academic Athletes.

Coleman who finished the year with a 3.624 GPA was also just named a 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee. She earned USTFCCAA All-American recognition in the shot put and was the second-ever Towson student-athlete to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. She finished 17^th in the nation in the shot put with a throw of 16.75 meters, achieving that mark in the Don Kirby Invitational on Feb. 13, 2020 and was also part of the program that won the 2020 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship. At the Don Kirby Elite Invitational, she topped her personal best in the shot put (16.75m, 54'11.5") which ranked her fourteenth in the NCAA plus a sixth place finish in the weight throw (19.63m, 63'5).

Johnson finished the year with a 3.820 cumulative GPA. She won the 60-meter dash (7.47) and posted a time of 24.40 in the 200 meter dash at the ECAC Championships. She was victorious in two separate meets in the 60-meter dash for the Tigers and set a new school record (7.40) after finishing third in the Penn State Nationals finals.

Lancaster also qualified after finishing the year with a 3.2 cumulative GPA. She finished second in the weight throw (19.67m) at the ECAC Championships. She won the weight throw (18.69m) at the Towson Tiger Invitational and at the Penn State National, she finished second in the weight throw (19.35m, 63-06.00") which is second best all-time.

As a program, Towson won it's first-ever ECAC Championship this year. Several student-athletes broke school records and Coleman and Michella Obijiaku had top-25 landings in the national rankings. Adia Cavalier set a new record in the triple jump while Hayley Horvath set a new pole vault record for the Tigers. Helnsarah Penda finished her indoor career as the number two 60m hurdler (8.46) in program history.