Wayne State University Athletics

Women's Track & Field 6/30/2021 10:43:00 AM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Women's Indoor Track and Field Sets Academic Records

Squad has school-record 20 All-Academic honorees.

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's indoor track and field squad had a school-record 20 All-Academic honorees, eclipsing the previous mark of 17 established during the 2016-17 school year. In addition, the Warriors eclipsed the previous school record of 11 All-Academic Excellence honorees set a year ago, with 15 for the 2020-21 academic year. The WSU women's indoor track and field squad has had 105 All-Academic recipients in the last seven years.

Named to the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5 were seniors Isabella Bertolini (New Baltimore, Mich. / Anchor Bay), Lyndsey Braman (Flint, Mich. / Powers Catholic) and Maddie Schmoker (Kellogg, Minn. / Wabasha-Kellogg), redshirt juniors Emma Willett (Holgate, Ohio) and Gabbi Willett (Holgate, Ohio), juniors Yasmine Affes (Northville, Mich.), Miranda Banks (Carleton, Mich. / Airport), Aliyah McDonald (Kingston, Jamaica) and Chloe Wandell (Muir, Mich. / Ionia), along with sophomores Thailyia Christensen (Flushing, Mich.), Cameron Martella (Gaylord, Mich.), Katherine Ray (Novi, Mich.), Makenzie Wank (Richland, Mich. / Gull Lake), Mikayla Williams (St. Charles, Mich.) and Charlene Yarema (Romeo, Mich.).

Braman (Public Health Honors) and the Willett twins (Secondary Education) each earned All-Academic Excellence Team honors for the third consecutive indoor season. Bertolini (Sociology Honors) received Excellence Team accolades for the second straight year after garnering All-Academic honors as a sophomore. Affes (Exercise and Sport Science), Banks (Communication Sciences and Disorders), McDonald (Kinesiology Honors) and Wandell (Kinesiology) were recognized for the second straight indoor season. Christensen (Marketing), Martella (Biochem & Chemical Biology), Ray (Sport Management), Wank (Biomedical Engineering Honors), Williams (Management) and Yarema (Communication Sciences and Disorders) are recipients in their first season eligible. Schmoker (Mortuary Science) was also a first-year eligible after transferring from Iowa Central Community College for the Fall of 2019.

Wayne State had five representatives on the All-Academic Team for having a cumulative GPA between 3.0 and 3.49. This group consisted of senior Jada Weatherspoon (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Skyline), along with juniors Ashley Defrain (Fort Gratiot, Mich. / Port Huron Northern), Teanna McCuaig (Sparta, Mich. / Kent City) and Izzy Taylor (Three Rivers, Mich.), and sophomore Makayla Sumrall (Roseville, Mich.).

Weatherspoon (Political Science) garnered her third straight GLIAC All-Academic recognition, while Defrain (Environmental Science) and McCuaig (Exercise and Sport Science) were recipients for the second straight year. Taylor (Biological Sciences) was recognized for the first time and Sumrall (Neuroscience) was honored in her first season eligible.

Wayne State shattered the previous mark of 206 Academic All-GLIAC honorees set in 2019-20 with 253 for the 2020-21 academic year. WSU has produced 1,694 Academic All-GLIAC recipients over the last decade.

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Players Mentioned

Yasmine Affes: Sprints; 5' 4"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Miranda Banks: Mid-Distance; 5' 7"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Isabella Bertolini: Sprints/Multis; 5' 9"; Senior; 4-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Lyndsey Braman: Sprints; 5' 10"; Senior; 4-Indoor/3-Outdoor

Thailyia Christensen: Mid-Distance; 5' 4"; Sophomore; 2-Indoor/1-Outdoor

Ashley Defrain: Distance; 5' 3"; Junior; 3-Indoor/1-Outdoor

Cameron Martella: Distance; 5' 3"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor

Teanna McCuaig: Sprints/Jumps; 5' 11"; Junior; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Aliyah McDonald: Sprints/Hurdles; 5' 6"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Katherine Ray: Mid-Distance; 5' 10"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor

Players Mentioned

Yasmine Affes
: 5' 4"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Sprints

Miranda Banks
: 5' 7"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance

Isabella Bertolini
: 5' 9"; Senior; 4-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Sprints/Multis

Lyndsey Braman
: 5' 10"; Senior; 4-Indoor/3-Outdoor
: Sprints

Thailyia Christensen
: 5' 4"; Sophomore; 2-Indoor/1-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance

Ashley Defrain
: 5' 3"; Junior; 3-Indoor/1-Outdoor
: Distance

Cameron Martella
: 5' 3"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor
: Distance

Teanna McCuaig
: 5' 11"; Junior; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Sprints/Jumps

Aliyah McDonald
: 5' 6"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Sprints/Hurdles

Katherine Ray
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance