Kralian Earns Repeat USTFCCCA All-Academic Accolades

New Orleans, LA --- For the second-straight year, junior Mara Kralian (N. Grafton, MA) has earned US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team honors for her performance in the classroom. Kralian was one of 328 female student-athletes from around the country to be selected to the Division III squad.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and have met either the NCAA Division III indoor or outdoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard.

Kralian was the only male or female student-athlete in the entire New England Alliance (schools which make up the MASCAC and the Little East Conference) to be honored on the squad while Julie Eagle and Noelle Richard of nearby WPI both received accolades. Regionally, Williams sported 12 student-athletes followed by Middlebury (8), Tufts (7), Bates (5) Springfield (5), Amherst (4) and Wellesley (2).

Kralian, a three-time All-MASCAC Academic honoree is a Business Administration major. In addition to her outstanding accomplishments in the classroom, Kralian nearly earned a trip to this year's NCAA Division III Indoor Championships as provisionally qualified and finished the season ranked 20th on the performance list in the Long Jump. The top 17 were chosen to compete in the event held at Capital University in Columbus, OH.

Kralian had a sensational indoor and outdoor campaign as she helped Worcester State achieve a top 20 finish at the Division III Indoor Championships (15th), the Division III Outdoor Championships (16th) and the Division III ECAC Outdoor Championships (12th).

Individually, Kralian notched post-season honors in seven events including the 60 meters (Open New England's – Indoors), 100 (ECAC – Outdoors), 200 (DIII New England's – Indoors) while she also recorded long jump honors in four different regional meets. She also helped the 4x100 and 4x200 relays earn All-ECAC honors.

Kralian, who also qualified provisionally in the long jump as a sophomore to set the current school record, hopes to stamp her ticket to the NCAA Division III Championships for her final season for the Blue and Gold. Kralian has helped set or reset seven different program marks.

Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Mat Lemaire the Lancers have won MASCAC Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field titles in three out of the last four seasons and since 2008 Worcester State has finished as the runners-up in the New England Alliance in five out of a possible six times.

This season alone, ten different school records have been broken and 22 have been eclipsed since Lemaire has taken the reigns of the program.