NEW ORLEANS -- After excelling as both students and athletes throughout the fall campaign, Christopher Newport cross country standouts Sarah Bland and Sarah Dake received USTFCCCA National All-Academic accolades, while both the men's and women's teams were recognized for their collective efforts by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Thursday afternoon.

Dake received the national honor for the second straight year, becoming the first member of the women's program to earn a pair of academic awards since Logan Funk was celebrated in 2019 and 2021. Meanwhile, Bland picked up the prestigious award for the first time in her career.

In order to qualify for the award, student-athletes must finish within the top-25 percent at the regional championship while boasting a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30.

Along with the individual honorees, the men's and women's programs were both recognized as National All-Academic Teams. The women were honored for the 16th time, while the men received their eighth award.

The National All-Academic Team distinction is bestowed upon programs that posted a cumulative GPA of 3.1 or higher.

Orchestrating a tremendous sophomore season, Bland capped off the fall with a pair of outstanding postseason appearances. At the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championships, she finished seventh in the 6k after crossing the line in 22:10.3. That established a new PR and marked the fifth-fastest clocking in program history.

Two weeks later, Bland returned to action at the NCAA Regional Championships. Competing against the top performers in the South, she completed the event in 23:13.2, which placed her 30th in the field. For her late-season efforts, she earned All-Conference and All-Region accolades.

Prior to her starring work in November, Bland was equally impressive throughout the fall. She placed sixth at the CNU Invitational and 13th at the Don Cathcart Invitational. In six appearances in the 6k during the year, she broke the 23-minute mark on three occasions, culminating with her PR at the league meet.

Adding another chapter to her award-winning career, Dake put together a storybook campaign during her third year with the Captains. Nailing down All-Conference and All-Region citations for her performance, she rewrote the history books in the fall, including a school-record clocking of 14:35.1 in the 4k at the Spider Alumni Open.

Later in the year, Dake set a new personal-best in the 6k at the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championships after finishing sixth in 22:05.1. That marked the fourth-fastest clocking in school history. She also added a short-course time of 21:59.1 at the Don Cathcart Invitational, which placed her third in the field.

Along with her historic efforts, Dake came in 22nd at the NCAA South Regional Championships with a time of 22:48.8 and added a second-place mark of 22:39.7 at the CNU Invitational. For her work during the year, she was named the league's Female Athlete of the Week on September 2 and October 6.

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