COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Layla Almasri (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Hannah Ellis (Greeley, Colo.), and Riley McGrath (Spring Branch, Texas) lead 14 University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's cross country student-athletes on the 2021 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Academic Team as all three were voted to the First Team, announced today by the league office.  Earning RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll accolades are Nadine Almasri (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Sarah Bassett (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Liz Bindert (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Ashley Frye (Austin, Texas), Emily Gentry (Monument, Colo.), Rachel Goodrich (Golden, Colo.), Kate Hedlund (Manchester, Conn.), Mason Ingallinera (Bradenton, Fla.), Elizabeth Richter (Temecula, Calif.), Rachel Richtman (Elburn, Ill.), and Kelsey Rycenga (Montrose, Colo.).

UCCS' 14 RMAC All-Academic selections are the most by any institution.
 
Colorado School of Mines' Zoe Baker is the RMAC Women's Cross Country Academic Runner of the Year. The RMAC also announced the 2021 Women's Cross Country First Team and Honor Roll All-Academic teams. The RMAC All-Academic teams are voted on by sports information directors from the league's 15 institutions.
 
Redshirt-junior Layla Almasri is coming off a runner-up finish at the 2021 RMAC Championship meet.  A Health Care Science major with a 3.631 GPA, Almasri has been named to the RMAC All-Academic team four times, earning First Team honors in 2021 and 2020, and Honor Roll accolades in 2019 and 2018.  She crossed the finish line at the conference championship meet in a time of 21:36.4, three weeks after recording a 5k personal best time at the Louisville Classic on Oct. 2 (17:09.8).
 
A two-time All-RMAC First Team performer and three-time RMAC All-Academic honoree, Hannah Ellis is coming off an all-conference first team performance after finishing 10^th overall at the RMAC Championship meet on Oct. 23.  A Nursing major with a 3.876 GPA, Ellis ran in three meets this season for UCCS.  The redshirt-junior ran her fastest 5k time of her career on Oct. 2 at the Louisville Classic, posting a time of 18:12.8.  This is her second straight appearance on the RMAC All-Academic First Team after being named to the Honor Roll in 2019.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Riley McGrath is making her first appearance on the RMAC All-Academic First Team.  In her second season with the Mountain Lions, McGrath helped UCCS to a third-place finish at the RMAC Championship meet after finishing 29^th in a time of 23:14.0.  She notched a 5k personal best time on Oct. 2 at the Louisville Classic with a mark of 18:05.1.  McGrath has a perfect 4.000 GPA and is earning a Business degree.
 
Nadine Almasri holds a perfect 4.000 GPA as a redshirt freshman majoring in Health Care Science.  Almasri competed in four meets this season and most recently posted a 6k personal best time of 24:26.1 at the 2021 RMAC Championship meet.
 
Also a 2020 RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll selection, Sarah Bassett ran her fastest 6k time of her collegiate career, finishing 38^th overall at the 2021 RMAC Championship meet on Oct. 23.  She earned her fastest 5k time earlier in the season at the Louisville Classic, finishing in a time of 18:31.8.  Bassett is majoring in Exercise Science at UCCS and holds a 3.744 GPA.
 
Redshirt-freshman Liz Bindert ran in three meets in her first season competing for the Mountain Lions.  She started the season with a 5k personal best time in the season opening UCCS Rust Buster, posting a time 20:41.6.  Two weeks later, she notched her fastest 6k time at the 2021 Roadrunners Invitational with a time of 25:07.7.  Bindert is an Exercise Science major with a 3.995 GPA.
 
Redshirt-junior Ashley Frye competed in her first race in a Mountain Lion uniform on Sept. 4 at the UCCS Rust Buster.  Frye finished 18^th overall in the 5k race with a time of 19:08.6.  She is earning a degree in Inclusive Elementary Education and has a 3.976 GPA.
 
Making her second straight appearance on the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll, Emily Gentry owns a 3.623 GPA in Exercise Science.  In her third season with the Mountain Lions, the redshirt-sophomore ran in two races this season.  She opened the fall with a 30^th place finish at the UCCS Rust Buster, crossing the finish line in 19:47.0.  Two weeks later she notched a 6k time of 24:21.8 at the MSU Denver Roadrunners Invitational.
 
A Chemistry major with a perfect 4.000 GPA, redshirt-freshman Rachel Goodrich earned a time of 20:03.6 and finished 34^th overall in her lone race of the season on Sept. 4 at the UCCS Rust Buster.
 
A competitor in all three major races this season for the Mountain Lions, redshirt-freshman Kate Hedlund posted a 33^rd place finish at the 2021 RMAC Cross Country Championships.  She finished the 6k race in 23:28.3, three weeks after recording her best 5k time of 17:34.0 at the Louisville Classic in Louisville, Ky.  Hedlund has a 3.410 GPA in Business.
 
An Exercise Science major with a 3.585 GPA, Mason Ingallinera ran in the season opening meet during her redshirt-freshman season.  She finished 20^th overall on Sept. 4 in the season-opening meet UCCS Rust Buster at Monument Valley Park.
 
Elizabeth Richter competed in three meets during her redshirt-freshman campaign, earning back-to-back personal best times.  She started the season with her best 5k time of 21:27.6 at the UCCS Rust Buster on Sept. 4 before entering a career best 6k time on Sept. 17 at the Roadrunners Invitational (25:06.5).  Richter is majoring in Criminal Justice and owns a 3.952 GPA.
 
Redshirt freshman Rachel Richtman is earning a Spanish degree at UCCS and has a 3.832 GPA.  In her last race of the regular season, Richtman ran a 5k personal best time of 19:01.8 at the Louisville Classic on Oct. 2.  In her first race of the season, she finished the MSU Denver Roadrunner Invitational in a 6k time of 23:45.7.
 
Kelsey Rycenga earned a 36^th place finish at the RMAC Cross Country Championships race two weeks ago in a time of 23:35.0.  The redshirt freshman, who is majoring in Communications with a 3.821 GPA, has ran in four meets this season.  She started the fall with a 5k personal best time of 18:55.6 at the UCCS Rust Buster and followed that performance with a 6k personal best time of 23:16.4 at the MSU Denver Roadrunners Invitational.
 
The Mountain Lions are heading to Lubbock, Texas for the 2021 NCAA South Central Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 6.