2021-22 Academic All-District Track & Field/Cross Country Teams

GREENWOOD, Ind. – Continuing her impressive work in the School of Communications & Media Technologies and with cross country and indoor track & field All-American efforts behind her, Academy of Art cross country/track & field's Natalia Novak starts NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Nationals today with recognition for her combination of athletic and scholastic success as a member of the 2022 Academic All-District Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Student-athletes were selected by members of CoSIDA and recognized as the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. To qualify for the CoSIDA All-District Cross Country/Track & Field Teams in Division II, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or greater through the most-recent semester and must have completed one full calendar year at his or her institution (graduate students are an exception to this requirement). On the women's side, a total of 87 individuals from 58 institutions were honored. First Team Academic All-District honorees advance to the Academic All-America ballot to be announced in June.

Novak maintained a 3.74 cumulative grade point average in the School of Communications & Media Technologies while enjoying one of the best cross country seasons by an Urban Knight to date. En route to becoming the third PacWest Individual Champion in program history, Novak led Academy of Art in two of four races which included a third place finish at the SF State Invitational on Sept. 10. The eventual PacWest Runner of the Year then proceeded to help her team win its first PacWest title (as the USTFCCCA NCAA DII National Athlete of the Week), finish fourth at NCAA DII West Regionals (highest in program history), and finish an All-American at Nationals with a new 6k personal record 21:20.7 that was third-fastest in ART U history.

During the successive indoor track & field season, Novak could be found breaking numerous program records. The native of Békéscsaba, Hungary began with a 4:45.71 mile at the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational on Feb. 25, added a 9:30.67 mark in the 3000m at the BU Last Chance Meet on Feb. 27, then joined her teammates for an 11:39.07 distance medley relay time at Indoor Nationals on Mar. 11 which made the quartet All-Americans.

Thus far in the Knights' outdoor track & field season, Novak defended her PacWest title in the 800m (giving her five All-PacWest First Team honors), later broke her own program record in the event with a 2:07.81 at the APU Last Chance Meet on May 13, and enters Outdoor Nationals ranked ninth in the 1500m as well as 10th in the 800m.

This is the second time Novak, a five-time career All-American and 12-time All-Region honoree, has earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in her career after her first came in 2021.