West Hartford, CT ? Elizabeth Foster, a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams, was named to the ESPN The Magazine All-District First Team on Thursday, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Foster was one of 10 student-athletes selected to the University Division District 1 first team, which covers Division I institutions in New England and New York.
Foster, a native of Ellington, CT, graduated from Hartford last month from the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions with a major in physical therapy. She posted a cumulative 3.79 grade point average and was named to the 2009 America East Track and Field All-Academic Teams following the indoor and outdoor seasons, and was also named to the league's all-academic squad in cross country last fall. As a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams at Hartford, Foster has been a repeat America East Commissioner's Honor Roll (3.5+ GPA) selection, appearing on the list on nine occasions throughout her career as a student-athlete.
In the 2008 cross country season, Foster led the Hawks at the America East Championship with a 14th place finish in a field of 76. She finished the 5k course in a time of 18:15.0, setting a new personal record for that distance. Additionally, Foster was Hartford's top-finisher in six consecutive races during her senior campaign.
On the track, Foster led the Hawks at the 2009 America East Outdoor Track and Field Championships, capturing the America East title in the 5,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. At the outdoor conference championships, the senior took first overall in the 5k event with a time of 17:20.27, smashing her previous school record by more than 23 seconds. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Foster ran an NCAA qualifying time of 10:43.30, bettering her school record time by more than six seconds while setting a facility record at Binghamton University's East Gym Track Complex. Additionally, Foster placed third in the 3k steeplechase at the New England Championships, earning All-New England honors.
Foster closed out her impressive career last month, running the steeplechase at the 2009 NCAA East Regionals hosted by North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, NC. In her first NCAA Championship appearance, she posted a time of 10:54.12, placing 21st overall. Foster's showing at the NCAA East Regionals marked the second-straight season ? and just the second time in the history of the program ? that the Hawks have made individual appearances in the championships.
To be nominated for Academic All-America recognition, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his/her career. No athlete is eligible until he/she has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution (thus, true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and ineligible transfers are not eligible). In the cases of transfers, graduate students and junior college graduates, the athlete must have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution to be eligible.
First-team All-District selections are named to the national ballot from which the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America teams are chosen. The Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America teams will be announced Thursday, June 18 for the men and Friday, June 19 for the women.
