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AU’s Jen Baclawski Named Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Five Eagles join Baclawski on PL Academic Honor Roll

Jen Baclawski was named the Patriot League Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

February 11, 2003

WASHINGTON -- Junior Jen Baclawski (Ijamsville, Md./Urbana) became American University’s ninth Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year as she earned the honor for women’s cross country as selected by the league’s sports information directors. Baclawski, a health promotion major, owns a cumulative grade-point average of 3.75.

A scholar-athlete nominee must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA and be a starter or a key player in his/her sport. Baclawski is AU’s third Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year chosen this year.

Baclawski placed third in the Patriot League Cross Country Championships with a time of 22:42.99 as American claimed its first-ever league title. She has earned All-Patriot League honors the past two seasons. This year, Baclawski finished third in the Maryland Invitationals, fourth at the Navy Invitational, ninth at the Paul Short Invitational and 22nd at the NCAA District II Championships. She also holds the 10,000-meter school record and is second all-time in four events.

“I’m so happy for Jen to receive this honor,” AU cross country coach Matt Centrowitz said. “She is one of the hardest workers on the team both in practice and in the classroom and to see her earn this recognition is great.”

Baclawski also led the way on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll with a 3.89 GPA in the fall semester. Joining her was senior and Patriot League Women’s Runner of the Year Samia Akbar (Herndon, Va./Oakton). Freshman Keira Carlstrom (Oakton, Va./Oakton) earned a spot on the Academic Honor Roll after garnering All-League accolades by finishing fourth in the Patriot League Championships. Also on the Academic Honor Roll was junior Leah Heinecke-Krumhus (Suwanee, Ga./Batavia), sophomore Lindsay Gilman (Westbrooke, Maine/Westbrooke) and freshman Zaia Wharton (Elkins, W. Va./Elkins).

To be eligible for the Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must earn a 3.20 (GPA) in the fall semester and be awarded a varsity letter in one of the seven league-sponsored fall championship sports. A total of 510 student-athletes were named to the fall Academic Honor Roll.

AU captured its first Patriot League Championship this fall, winning the meet by one point. The Eagles placed Akbar, Baclawski and Carlstrom in the top-four to lead the squad to victory. Head coach Matt Centrowitz earned Patriot League Women’s Coach of the Year awards and four runners were named to the Patriot League All-League squads.

American University, which fields a 19-sport NCAA Division I athletics program featuring 10 women’s sports and nine for men, is in its second year of membership in the Patriot League. Since joining the Patriot League, the University has captured league championships in men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball, and regular-season titles in men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse.

Chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893, American University features students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 160 nations worldwide.