COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) announced the RMAC All-Academic team on Wednesday, as the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Track & Field Program had a combined 41 student-athletes on the all-academic list between both the men's and women's teams. Redshirt senior Will Ross headlined UCCS' all-academic team by being voted RMAC Academic Player of the Year as senior Dawson Hopkinson joins Ross on the men's RMAC All-Academic First Team. For the women, the sprints duo of redshirt sophomore Brittany Fuchs and redshirt junior Kayla Zink each earned themselves all-academic first team honors to combine for four total first team selections for the Mountain Lions.

On the women's RMAC All-Academic team, Western Colorado University's Bailey Sharon is voted this year's RMAC Academic Player of the Year.

The award winners, along with other First Team All-Academic members, were voted on by the conference's sports information directors. To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have been an active student at the institution for at least two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters and carry a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (GPA).

All student-athletes who met those requirements, but were not selected for First Team, automatically qualified for Honor Roll.

From Colorado Springs, Colo., outdoor senior and jumps student-athlete Will Ross receives his second consecutive RMAC Academic Player of the Year award after boasting a 3.889 GPA as an Electrical Engineer major. A two-time All-RMAC First Team selection in 2021, Ross turned in a stellar 2021 outdoor season after scoring 13 team points to help the UCCS Men's Track & Field program win their first ever RMAC Outdoor Conference Championship. Overall, Ross has finished in the top-5 in very single long jump and triple jump event this season while also grabbing first place five different times. Two of those top-5 marks punched his ticket to nationals as he went off at conference championships to earn both his long jump and triple jump national qualifying marks. His silver medal mark of 7.70m in the long jump automatically qualified him for NCAA Championships as he set a new PR and new school record. In the triple jump, Ross leaped to a provisional qualifying mark of 15.23m to claim his spot at nationals as he recorded his second straight year of qualifying for NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the long jump and triple jump.

A USTFCCCA All-Region and All-RMAC First Team selection for the outdoor season, Business Management major Dawson Hopkinson (Greeley, Colo.) receives his second RMAC All-Academic First Team honor of his career by posting a GPA of 3.897. Owner of the top-3 outdoor school records in the pole vault, Hopkinson set a new PR and school record this outdoor season by clearing a provisional qualifying mark of 5.11m at the Maverick Multi & Open on Apr. 9 to earn RMAC Field Athlete of the Week. Hopkinson has finished top-5 in eight of the nine meets that he has competed in this season as the senior notched three first place finishes in the pole vault. At conference championships, Hopkinson came up big for the Mountain Lions by vaulting to a silver medal finish with a provisional mark of 5.03m to register eight team points and help UCCS claim the RMAC title.

Making her first career appearance on the RMAC All-Academic First Team is outdoor sophomore Brittany Fuchs (Calhan, Colo.). As an Inclusive Elementary Education major, Fuchs worked her way to a nearly perfect GPA of 3.930 and has performed even better on the track. A USTFCCCA All-Region performer in the 100m and 4x100m relay, Fuchs sprinted to an incredible three podium finishes at RMAC Outdoor Championships as she contributed 24 team points to the Mountain Lions' conference championship title this season. Fuchs' gold medal came in the 4x100m relay after helping clock the fastest time in school history (45.95s) as she later ran a silver medal 100m time of 11.63s and bronze medal 200m time of 24.61s to set a new PR. A first time national qualifier, Fuchs will be competing on the national stage in two events including the 100m and 4x100m relay after making her last chance meet in Kearney, Neb. count. In the 100m, Fuchs came out to run a new PR and provisional qualifying time of 11.92s at the Loper Twilight #2 on May 16.
 
Outdoor junior Kayla Zink (Illiff, Colo.) rounds out the UCCS all-academic first team selections by making her second appearance on the awards list. Also, an indoor all-academic first teamer this season, Zink posted a 3.725 GPA as a Health Care Science major to earn outdoor first team honors. Zink has sprinted to an impressive 2021 outdoor season after adding two USTFCCCA All-Region honors, three All-RMAC First Team honors, and an RMAC Team Championship. The USTFCCCA Top Regional Performer in the 100m, Zink ran to a gold medal in both the 4x100m relay and 100m while also taking silver in the 200m to score a combined 28 team points on the track. After teaming up with Fuchs to help run the fastest 4x100m relay time in school history, Zink ran the second fastest 100m time in program history at a PR  time of 11.75s. With that time Zink will be competing in the 100m at nationals, in addition to also running a leg in the 4x100m in Allendale, Mich.

HONOR ROLL – WOMEN'S TEAM
Layla Almasri R-JR (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 3.590 GPA, Health Care Science
Sarah Bassett FR (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 3.753 GPA, Exercise Science
Audrey Bloomquist R-FR (Helena, Mont.) 4.00 GPA, Business
Kamryn Bohlken R-FR (Albuquerque, N.M.) 3.678 GPA, Criminal Justice
Cassielynn Bonner SO (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 3.347 GPA, Exercise Science
Gracie Bradfield R-FR (Meeker, Colo.) 3.956 GPA, Biology
Hannah Ellis R-SO (Greeley, Colo.) 3.888 GPA, Nursing
Ellie Enderle SR (Canon City, Colo.) 3.756 GPA, Health Care Science
Dejah Glover R-JR (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 3.492 GPA, Health Care Science
Anna Holland R-FR (Fort Collins, Colo.) 3.96 GPA, Elementary Education
Jalen Jordan GR (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 4.00 GPA, Criminal Justice
Jentry Largent R-FR (DeBeque, Colo.) 3.930 GPA, Exercise Science
Ashten Loeks R-FR (Elizabeth, Colo.) 3.314 GPA, Exercise Science
Ella McKinna-Worrell JR (Malibu, Calif.) 3.586 GPA, Business Administration
Faith Novess R-FR (DeBeque, Colo.) 3.508 GPA, University Studies
Maggie Remsberg R-FR (Newton, Kan.) 3.952 GPA, Biology
Diana Reynolds JR (Parker, Colo.) 3.468 Criminal Justice
Elizabeth Richter FR (Temecula, Calif.) 3.936 GPA, Criminal Justice
Vanessa Roybal SR (Mililani, Hawaii) 3.982 GPA, Mechanical Engineering
Erika Timbang R-FR (Longmont, Colo.) 3.350 GPA, Exercise Science
Lydia Pavlenko R-JR (Portland, Ore.) 3.780 GPA, Health Care Science
Kayla Waterman JR (Longmont, Colo.) 3.81 GPA, Biology
Grace Wenham R-SO (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) 4.00 GPA, Mechanical Engineering

HONOR ROLL – MEN'S TEAM
Dakota Abbott JR (Amherst, Neb.) 3.371 GPA, Business Administration
Jaren Albrighton R-FR (Kersey, Colo.) 3.721 GPA, Business
Skye Ciccarelli SO (Woodland Park, Colo.) 3.763 GPA, Exercise Science
Daniel Furcron R-FR (Vancouver, Wash.) 3.661 GPA, Nursing
Evan Graff R-SO (Montrose, Colo.) 3.709 GPA, Criminal Justice
David Higgins GR (Woodland Park, Colo.) 3.900 GPA, Mechanical Engineering
Colton Homuth SR (Castle Rock, Colo.) 3.648 GPA, Computer Engineering
Angelo Hurtado R-SO (Johnstown, Colo.) 3.564 GPA, Communications
Charlie Kieffer R-SR (Fairfield, Conn.) 3.920 GPA, Mechanical Engineering
Gary Kurtz R-SR (Brighton Colo.) 3.683 GPA, Psychology
Brian Mosley Jr. R-FR (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 3.648 GPA, Business
Sam Repsher JR (Centennial, Colo.) 3.527 GPA, Business Administration
Peyton Turnage R-FR (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) 3.853 GPA, Business
Derek Valdez R-SR (Pueblo, Colo.) 3.369 GPA, Finance
 
Next up for UCCS is the 2021 NCAA DII Track and Field Championships. The NCAA DII Championships are slated to begin on Thursday, May 27- Saturday, May 29 in Allendale, Mich. The men's long jump will be the first event with a Mountain Lion competing as Will Ross and Peter Ackah will start at 12 p.m. tomorrow. Live results, meet schedule, and heat sheets can be found at https://results.leonetiming.com/?mid=2251.