NEW ORLEANS – Eastern Kentucky University's Laura Taborda has been named an All-Academic Athlete for the 2021 cross country season by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
 
The prestigious honor comes after Taborda finished 21^st out of 223 runners at the NCAA Southeast Regional in November, covering the 6K course at Louisville's E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer Park in 20:44.9. She was named NCAA All-Southeast Region for her performance.
 
Taborda – a native of Covilha, Portugal – has maintained a 3.73 GPA while pursuing a graphic design degree at EKU.
 
Overall, there were 114 women from 58 different schools who were named All-Academic Athletes for the 2021 season.
 
In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top-25 (or 10 percent) at the NCAA Regional Championships or as an All-American at the NCAA Championships.
 
The EKU women's cross country squad was also named an All-Academic Team by the USTFCCCA. Head coach Cory Erdmann's Colonels boast a cumulative GPA of 3.82.