FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks cross country team had three runners recognized on the CSC Academic All-District Women's Track & Field/Cross Country teams.

The award, selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC), recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in the athletic realm and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-American program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions - NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. 

Cross Country Student-Athletes
Naomi Bailey
Rosie Fordham
Kendall Kramer

Naomi Bailey, a sophomore from Fairbanks and a biological sciences major, boasted a 4.00 GPA this past semester to raise her cumulative GPA to a 3.85, earning Chancellor's List honors in the spring 2023 semester. Bailey was also named to the 2022 GNAC All-Academic Team for her efforts in the classroom. On the course this season, Bailey finished in the top-three in her first five races. She kicked the season off with a pair of third-place finishes at the Seawolf Throwdown and the Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears XC Open before diving on to the big stage with a victory at the NCAA DII Pre-Nationals race in Seattle, Wash. on Oct. 22, 2022. With the win, Bailey earned GNAC XC Athlete of the Week honors and became the first-ever Nanook to receive a USTFCCCA Athlete of the Week honor. Her momentum carried into her next two races as she took second at the 2022 GNAC Championships with a 6k personal-best time of 20:37.1, earning All-GNAC honors; in the second of the two races, Bailey grabbed another win, this time at the 2022 NCAA DII West Region Championships, becoming the DII West Region Champion with a 6k time of 20:53.1 and grabbing West All-Region honors. With the win, she qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second-straight season, and took 90th with a time of 21:27.1 in the 6k race.

Second on the list is Rosie Fordham, a sophomore from Sydney, Australia and a mathematics major. In her time at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fordham has maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.65. Fordham also earned GNAC All-Academic honors this season. During the season she posted five top-five finishes, including a pair of second-place finishes at the Blue/Gold Race and the Seawolf Throwdown to begin the season. In the Blue/Gold Race, Fordham posted a personal-best time in the 5k with a time of 18:39.0. She then followed with a fifth-place finish at the Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears XC Open, a fifth-place finish at the 2022 GNAC Championships for All-GNAC honors and a fourth-place finish at the 2022 NCAA DII West Region Championships to receive West All-Region honors. Her 6k time of 21:06.2 at the regional race gave her a new personal-best 6k time. Also with her finish at the NCAA DII West Region Championships, she qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second-striaght year. She placed 43rd-place at the Seattle Pacific-hosted championships, crossing the finish line of the 6k in 21:27.1.

The final student-athlete on the list for the Nanooks is Kendall Kramer. Kramer, who made the CSC At-Large Women's Academic All-District Team a week ago for Nordic ski, is now representing the blue and gold for her performances in cross country. In the classroom, Kramer is a psychology major who has maintained a 3.83 cumulative GPA and posted a 4.00 GPA this past semester. Kramer never fell out of the top-10 in any of her race appearances this season for the Nanooks. She claimed a pair of runner-up finishes and boasted two wins; her first coming at the Seawolf Throwdown on Sept. 3, 2022 and her second coming at the 2022 GNAC Championships. With the win at GNAC's, she not only earned All-GNAC honors, but was named the GNAC Cross Country Female Athlete of the Year. Her winning time of 20:37.0 gave her a new personal-best 6k time and prepared her for the Division II West Region Championships. She finished in second with a time of 20:58.5, trailing only her teammate, Naomi Bailey, as she added another award to her trophy case, this one in the shape of a West All-Region honor. With that finish, she earned an individual trip to the NCAA Championships alongside Bailey and Fordham and ended up taking eighth-place with a time of 20:52.2 in the 6k race. Her finish was good enough for an All-American title and cemented her in Alaska Nanooks history as she became the highest finishing Nanook at the NCAA Championships in program history. 

Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced June 21 (men) and June 22 (women).

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