By Layne Weitzel, TTU Sports Information
NEW ORLEANS – Freshman Purity Sanga has been named to the 2017 NCAA Division I Women's All-Academic team, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Friday.
Sanga is one of 169 female Division I student-athletes to receive an all-academic honor from the USTFCCCA. She is also just one of two from the Ohio Valley Conference to be named to the team, along with Eastern Kentucky's Luisa Boschan.
In order to qualify, candidates must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and finish in the top 25 at regionals or as an All-American in the national meet.
Sanga placed eighth overall at the South Regional back in mid-November with a school record 6k time of 20:16.4, which earned her an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships. She was the lone female representative from the state of Tennessee to run at the national meet and just the eighth different OVC female athlete to earn an at-large NCAA berth.
The freshman placed 217th at the NCAA Championships on Nov. 18 with a time of 21:48.00. She was also named the OVC Women's Freshman of the Year.