University of Memphis Athletics
Berding, Jaarats Merit USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors
Aug 04, 2011 | Women's Track and Field
Aug. 4, 2011
NEW ORLEANS--Tiger Track and Field athletes Kirsten Berding and Britta Jaarats earned spots on the 2011 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Women's Individual All-Academic Team, as announced by the USTFCCCA in a release Thursday.
Berding, from Muenster, Germany, qualified athletically for the award in the high jump, having finished at the NCAA East Regional in a tie for 37th, posting a 1.65m (5' 5") mark in her first career Regional appearance.
In addition, the rising junior wrapped up her first two years at Memphis with a 3.94 cumulative grade-point average. Berding, who is majoring in dietetics and minoring in biology, was also named to the 2011 Conference USA Women's Track and Field All-Academic Team.
The other U of M honoree is Jaarats, a native of Turi, Estonia. The multi-event athlete completed her redshirt freshman indoor season ranked 88th in the nation in the shot put, setting her personal-best 14.77m (48' 5.5") at the Kentucky Rod McCravy Memorial. Jaarats maintains a 3.43 GPA as she works towards a degree in criminology and criminal justice.
"I am so proud of what Kirsten and Britta have accomplished this past season," U of M head coach Kevin Robinson said. "They're such an integral part of our very young women's track and field team. Both of these young ladies are prime examples of the direction that we as a staff are trying to take this program. This is a great honor for both of them and I could not be happier to be called their coach."
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and have met either 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 ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
This is the first time either U of M student-athlete has been an honoree and the first Memphis women's track and athletes to earn USTFCCCA all-academic status since Sivan Aballi in 2008.
The complete release, including the full list of the 663 Division I women's track and field honorees can be found by clicking here.
Players Mentioned
