NEW ORLEANS – Four student-athletes from the University of the Incarnate Word men's and women's track and field programs – Parker Barrett, Matheo Bernat, Gabrielle Thomas and Abby Gray – were named Academic All-Americans by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
 
Barrett finished the school year with a 3.74 GPA in Criminal Justice while ranking in the top 48 of the west region in the Decathlon. For the 60 hurdles, Bernat is ranked in the top 96 in the NCAA while maintaining a 3.83 GPA in Sport Management.
 
Thomas (3.20 GPA) and Gray (3.96 GPA) each qualified for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Arkansas in their respective events to earn the All-American title. Thomas competed in the triple jump and Gray ran both the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase.
 
The men's track & field/cross country program finished with a cumulative team GPA of 3.20, which ranked second in the Southland Conference, third in the state of Texas, and fourth in the South-Central Region.
 
The women also held second place in the Southland with a 3.32 cumulative team GPA. They finished sixth in the state of Texas and ninth in the South-Central Region.
 
"Words cannot describe how proud I am of these two squads earning the prestigious USTFCCCA All-Academic awards," head coach Dr. Derek Riedel said. "Our men and women work so hard year-round to excel off the track as much as they do on the track. This award shows just how successful they were.
 
"Cudos to these fantastic groups. This was the last award for the 2021-22 academic year – we are putting to bed a historic year for UIW Track and Field with the belief that 2022-23 will be even better!"
 
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