MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Mica Hanish (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) and Sarah Lucas (Charleroi, Pa./Ringgold) were named to the 2020-21 Academic All-District Women's Cross Country and Track & Field First Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
 
This marks the second CoSIDA All-District honor for Hanish and the first for Lucas.  Hanish also earned CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America honors last year.
 
Hanish earned All-America honors at the conclusion of the 2019 cross country season by way of finishing 20th at the Division III Championships, which followed up a second-place showing at the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships and Great Lakes Regional. In addition to claiming the individual title of the 3,000-meter run at the 2020 NCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, she was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region Team in March. A multiple time NCAC champion, Hanish has also received several All-NCAC accolades.   
 
Academically, Hanish graduated with a 4.0 GPA while majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Economics. A distinguished Alden Scholar (GPA above 3.80), she was a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, the national student-athlete honor society, and Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society, where she served as treasurer of Allegheny's chapter. She was also the recipient of the 2021 Female William Crawford Academic Merit Award and the 2021 NCAC Senior Scholar-Athlete Award. She received The College Mathematics Journal Next Generation Prize, which was awarded to the journal article in the May 2020 issue that the students selected as the best for undergraduate mathematics students nationwide to read. 
 
Lucas was named the 2021 NCAC Distance Runner of the Year, helping the Gators capture their first conference championship since 2008. At the NCAC Championships this year, Lucas won the 3,000 meter steeplechase and the 5,000 meter run. Lucas has twice earned All-NCAC honors in the DMR.  For her cross country career, Lucas earned a pair of All-NCAC and competed at the NCAA Division III National Championships twice.
 
Academically, Lucas was a psychology major with a global health studies minor and graduated with a 3.81 GPA.  She was a member of Chi Alpha Sigma and Phi Chi Psychology Honors Society and a USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree.
 
The 2021 Academic All-District Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America program separately recognizes track & field/cross country honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. To be eligible for the award, nominated and voted on by Sports Information Directors, student-athletes must be of sophomore or above academic class, hold at least a cumulative 3.30 GPA and be a starter or important reserve on their team.
 
Honorees selected first-team Academic All-District will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot. Academic All-America honorees will be announced later this month.