NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The rising senior duo of Elizabeth Debich (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski Area) and Mica Hanish (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) were selected as United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic athletes. 

This All-Academic selection marks Hanish's fourth academic accolade this season as she qualified for the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Academic Honor Roll earlier in the month; she also became the 39th Academic All-American in Allegheny history in June and was named to the 2019-20 CoSIDA Academic All-District Women's Cross Country and Track & Field First Team in May. A two-way All-American, Hanish currently holds a 4.0 GPA while majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Economics. A distinguished Alden Scholar (GPA above 3.80), the soon-to-be senior is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, the national student-athlete honor society, and Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society, where she serves as treasurer of Allegheny's chapter.

Debich claimed Allegheny's first indoor throws NCAC title since 2015 when she won the weight throw event with a distance of 15.99 meters (52 feet, 5.5 inches) at the 2020 NCAC Indoor Track and Field championships. On the season, she recorded five top-eight finishes in the women's weight throw, four of which were in the top five. She also competed in the women's shot put this year where she scored four top-eight finishes, two of which were in the top five. A Neuroscience major and member of Chi Alpha Sigma the national student-athlete honor society, Debich is a two-sport athlete at Allegheny where she also competes on the women's volleyball team.

To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.30 and must have met at least one of the following athletic standards: Competed in an NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship; or finished the regular season ranked in the national top-50 in an individual event or ranked in the national top-35 in a relay event on the official NCAA Descending Order List.

Along with Debich and Hanish capturing individual selections, both the men's and women's programs, under the direction of head coach Justin Linzy, were named as All-Academic Teams. A total of 359 teams were honored this year, including 209 women's programs and 150 men's teams. The Allegheny women's team tallied a 3.57 cumulative GPA while the men's team recorded a 3.22 GPA.