NEW ORLEANS, La. — Shalise Borden and Chelsea Taylor both earned All-Academic honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the organization announced on Friday.
Borden, who maintains a 3.88 GPA in kinesiology, finished seventh in the hammer at this year's Conference USA Outdoor Championships. She captured a gold medal in her specialty event at the J. Fred Duckett Invitational and was third at both of the team's home meets (UTSA Invitational/Roadrunners Invitational) this past outdoor season. The senior from Marana, Ariz., won the Houston Invitational title and finished third at the C-USA Indoor in the weight throw during the indoor campaign, as she set a new school record (62-6 ¾/19.07m) in her specialty event en route to her bronze medal at the league meet. Borden earned a 2016-17 Conference USA Academic Medal and is a two-time member of the Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Meanwhile, Taylor graduated in May with a 3.63 GPA in management science. She competed in both the 400 meters and 1,600m relay for the Roadrunners during her final season in the Alamo City. UTSA's mile relay raced to a pair of meet crowns (Armory Invitational/Longhorn Invite) and posted three other third-place performances in 2016-17. The Jersey Village native was a member of the 1,600m relay that clocked a program-record time of 3:40.69 en route to third place at the C-USA Indoor Championships and she also clocked the school's fourth-fastest 400m time (55.29) at the circuit's postseason event on her way to seventh place. The mile relay also posted the second-fastest time in school history (3:36.98) at the NCAA Championships Preliminary Rounds during the outdoor campaign. Taylor earned the Winter 2017 C-USA Spirit of Service Award and she was a four-time member of the Commissioner's Honor Roll during her career.
To qualify for All-Academic accolades, student-athletes must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and met at least one of two athletics standards. For the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event on the official NCAA list provided by TFRRS.org. For the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships.
