NEW ORLEANS -- Christopher Newport cross country standouts Lena Blagg, Sarah Dake, and Andrew Janetsky hauled in USTFCCCA National All-Academic honors, while the entire men's and women's teams were celebrated for their collective efforts by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Thursday afternoon.

For the first time in their careers, Blagg, Dake, and Janetsky were each named to the National All-Academic Team for their performance during the fall campaign. In order to qualify for the prestigious honor, individuals must finish within the top-25 percent at the regional championship while boasting a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30.

With their awards, Blagg and Janetsky became the first freshmen to receive the honor since Monica Lannen and Gena Lewis were recognized in 2016.

Along with the individual honorees, the men's and women's programs were both celebrated as National All-Academic Teams. The women were honored for the 15th time, while the men received their seventh award.

In order to qualify for the All-Academic distinction, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.1 or higher.

Bursting onto the scene with a sensational freshman campaign, Blagg hauled in second-team All-League accolades after placing 16th at the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championships. Later, the psychology major added a top-40 showing at the NCAA Regionals after clocking in at 23:38.0, which placed her 36th at the title meet.

Along with her postseason work, Blagg also pieced together a top-10 showcase at the Don Cathcart Invitational and established a 6k PR of 23:14.3 at the Interregional Border Battle. 

Building upon her own dynamite debut campaign, Dake followed up her solid freshman year with an award-winning sophomore season. Earning a spot on the first-team All-Conference squad, she placed seventh overall at the league meet after crossing the line in 23:22.9. Then, at the regional competition, the kinesiology major finished 40th in a field featuring the top runners in the South.

Prior to her work at the championship races, Dake also came in fifth at the Don Cathcart Invitational and established a new personal standard in the 4k with a 15:27.3 clocking at the Spider Alumni Open.

On the men's side, Janetsky quickly established himself as one of the top up-and-coming standouts in the region. The first-year phenom became just the 14th freshman in school history to earn All-South honors after placing 28th at the NCAA Regionals. Additionally, the business major garnered All-League nods and was named the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.

Adding his name to the history books, Janetsky posted the fourth-fastest 6k time in program lore with a 19:20.5 mark at the Spider Alumni Open, while his 8k clocking of 25:51.4 at the Interregional Border Battle placed him 35th on the program's all-time charts. 

Aided by the efforts of the All-Academic trio, Christopher Newport eventually posted a pair of top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships.

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