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RICHMOND, Ky. – Five Eastern Kentucky University track and field student-athletes – Emma García-Palencia, Ahmed Jaziri, Quantasia Perry, Laura Taborda, and Jone Zabaleta Larranaga – earned U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors for the 2022 season.
 
Both the EKU men's (3.24 cumulative GPA) and women's (3.59 cumulative GPA) track and field teams were also named All-Academic Teams by the organization.
 
Garcia-Palencia, an Elementary Education Teaching major, won gold in the heptathlon at the ASUN Outdoor Championships in May. Her winning score of 5,165 points smashed the EKU record in the event and was the second-best heptathlon performance in ASUN Championships history. Garcia-Palencia also won silver in the pentathlon at the ASUN Indoor Championships in February. She finished the year with a 3.41 cumulative GPA.
 
Jaziri, a Sport Management major, won the NCAA title in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase in June. His winning time of 8:18.70 was the second-fastest in NCAA history. The native of Rades, Tunisia also won ASUN titles in the outdoor 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters. During the indoor season, he shattered his own school record in the 3,000 meters, running a time of 7:47.34. Jaziri finished the year with a 3.25 cumulative GPA.
 
Perry, an Elementary Education Teaching major, won ASUN gold medals in the indoor and outdoor 200 meters. She broke or helped break five school records during the season – indoor 200 meters (23.78), indoor 4x400 meter relay (3:45.99), outdoor 100 meters (11.42), outdoor 200 meters (23.35), and outdoor 4x100 meter relay (45.33). She competed at the NCAA East Prelims in both the 100 meters and 200 meters. Perry graduated in May with a cumulative GPA of 3.38.
 
Taborda, an Art/Design Studio major with a concentration in Graphic Design, became the first EKU woman ever to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She did so by running a school-record 9:58.50 at the NCAA East Prelims in May. Taborda also won gold in the event at the ASUN Outdoor Championships. She finished this year with a cumulative GPA of 3.64.
 
Zabaleta Larranaga won ASUN gold in the indoor 3,000 meters and outdoor 5,000 meters. She ran a 5K time of 16:02.55 during the outdoor season, which is the second-fastest in school history. That time qualified her for the NCAA East Prelims. Zabaleta Larranaga posted a perfect 4.0 GPA this year while pursuing a Masters in Exercise and Sports Science. She was named to the ASUN All-Academic Team following the outdoor season.
 
To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, student-athletes must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale. The athletic criteria for the award:

• For the indoor season: must have finished the season ranked in the top 96 in any championship individual event, or in the top 48 in any championship relay event, for the most recent indoor season, certifiable by their place on final season performance lists on TFRRS for Indoor Track and Field (including performances achieved outside the qualifying window during the indoor season).
• For the outdoor season: must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships (the Preliminary Championship Competition and/or the Final Championship Competition) or for the multi-events, must have finished the season ranked in the top 48 in the East or top 48 in the West for the most recent outdoor season, certifiable by their place on the NCAA Division I