June 28, 2011
GREENSBORO, N.C. – As announced by Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford, Tuesday, five Georgia Tech athletes have been recognized on the Outdoor Track Academic All-ACC team for their efforts in the classroom.
Four seniors in Kayla McKeirnan, Leslie Njoku, Joanna Wright and Subbu Sivanesan earned the honor while Duncan Thompson was the lone junior named to the team.
Njoku, Wright and Thompson earned the accolade in both the 2011 indoor and outdoor season.
To be eligible for All-ACC Academic Team consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his or her academic career.
Clemson’s Liane Weber has been honored as the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Florida State senior Ciaran O’Lionaird has been honored as the 2011 ACC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
McKeirnan had a career season during her final year on the Flats setting a new school record in the heptathlon during her fourth place, 5,133 point finish at the ACC Championships.
Njoku, who previously made the Academic All-ACC Indoor Team in 2011, garnered the award for the outdoor season where she excelled setting school record after school record and earning USTFCCCA Second Team All-America honors. Njoku finished the season with a career best and school record time of 57.14 seconds in the semi-final round of the 400 meter hurdles at the NCAA Championships.
Wright, who has been on the Outdoor Academic All-ACC Team for all four of her years as a Yellow Jacket. Wright, like Njoku, advanced to the NCAA Championships where she finished in ninth place to also earn Second Team All-America honors.
On the men’s side of things, Sivanesan, who finished 10th in the 400 meter dash and helped the Jackets to a sixth place 4×400 meter relay finish at the ACC Championships, earns the first Academic All-ACC honor of his career.
He is joined by Thompson who earned the same honor for the indoor season back in April. Thompson finished his 2011 outdoor season at the ACC Championships with a 10th place finish in the hammer throw.
