NEW ORLEANS — As she gears up for her senior year of competition, Jadin O’Brien has received yet another honor. On Thursday, The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced O’Brien is this year’s Women’s Track Scholar Athlete of the Year.
O’Brien, who hails from Wisconsin, won the national championship in the women’s pentathlon during the Indoor season, and she followed that performance with an excellent run during the Outdoor season. The then-junior took seventh in the nation in the women’s heptathlon last month at the Outdoor NCAA Track & Field Championships at the University of Texas, earning All-America status.
In addition to O’Brien, 10 other female Irish student-athletes made the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team: Alaina Brady, Siona Chisholm, Annasophia Keller, Caroline Lewis, Olivia Markezich, Sophie Novak, Kaitlin Ryan, Reese Sanders, Madison Schmidt and Katie Thronson.
On the men’s side, Notre Dame placed nine on the All-Academic Team: Kevin Berry, Joseph Dobrydney, John Keenan, Blake Kusky, Nick Miller, Tom Seitzer, Michael Shoaf, CJ Singleton and Jackson Storey.
To earn the honor, the student-athletes needed to have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period. Additionally, they must have completed at least two semesters or three quarters at the nominating institution. Finally, they must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships or must have finished the season ranked in the top 48 in the East or West in the multi-events.
Both teams — as a whole — were also named All-Academic. The women boasted a GPA of 3.5, while the men posted a 3.375.