NEW ORLEANS -- The Point Park men's and women's track & field teams earned team academic awards from the U.S. Track & Field, Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the association announced on Monday. Elijah Bechdel, Jakob Blatnik, Chase Bowen, Pedro Lemos and Dunya Van den Tooren all qualified for USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic Teams as individuals.
Point Park's men's and women's teams posted 3.19 and 3.40 team grade-point averages, respectively.
Elijah Bechdel, a sophomore from Beaver, Pa., posted a 3.57 GPA as a Business Management major. Bechdel set indoor program records in the 5,000m (15:10.90) and the DMR (10:10.27) and set the second-best outdoor time in the 5,000m (15:06.62) in program history.
Jakob Blatnik is Point Park's record holder in the javelin. Blatnik took first place in the javelin at the Westminster Invitational in April with his toss of 65.10 meters. Blatnik was named MEC Athlete of the Week on Apr. 13. Blatnik posted a GPA of 3.81 as a Info Systems & Business Analytics major.
Chase Bowen set indoor program records in the 800m (1:53.71), the mile (4:15.65) and the distance medley relay (10:10.27). Bowen's 800m finish ranked fourth in the Atlantic Region. He set the third-best times in program history in the indoor 4x400m (3:23.65) and the outdoor 1,500m (3:55.84). Bowen also was named All-MEC Honorable Mention in the DMR at the MEC Indoor Championships. He recorded a GPA of 3.56 as a Sports, Arts, Entertainment and Music major.
Pedro Lemos posted a 4.00 GPA as a Mechanical Engineering major. Lemos was a part of the program-record-setting Indoor DMR team that recorded a time of 10:01.27 at the Armory. Lemos also set the fourth-best indoor 800m (1:55.46) and mile (4:16.35) times, and he was featured on the 4x400m relay team that set the third-best time in program history (3:23.65). He also set the fifth-best time in the 1,500m (3:57.97) at the MEC Outdoor Championships.
Dunya Van den Tooren recorded a 4.00 GPA as a Sports, Arts, Entertainment and Music major. Van den Tooren took first place in the high, long and triple jumps at the MEC Outdoor Championships. She was named MEC Women's Field Athlete of the Year at both the Indoor and Outdoor Championships, and she garnered MEC MVP honors at the Indoor Championships.
Van den Tooren set the outdoor program record in the high jump on Apr. 4 at 1.70 meters. She also tallied indoor program records in the high jump (1.70 meters), long jump (5.75 meters) and pentathlon (3,533 points).
