NEW ORLEANS, La. – Gardner-Webb junior Natasha Akbarizadeh (Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada) has earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors for the second consecutive year.
 
This past season, Akbarizadeh had a toss of 60.26 meters at the 2017 Big South Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which ranked 28th in the region, to earn her a spot at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Region Championships.

She won the 2017 Big South Conference title with that distance, which was nearly two meters better than her closest competitor.  It was also a new GWU record for the event.
 
A total of 752 women earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors during the 2016-17 track & field seasons.
To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the 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 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).