POUGHKEEPSIE, New York - A few months following the finish of the academic year, Michelle Gaye of the women's cross country and track & field team, has been awarded with U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Honors. Gaye was amongst 838 collegiate women across the country to be honored for her achievements in the classroom and in competition.

This has become one of many accomplishments Gaye has earned during her time as a Red Fox. A recent graduate with a Business Administration/Finance degree, Gaye was one of eight Marist athletes named to the CoSIDA/Capital One First Team Academic All-District team.

Scholar Athletes of the Year were selected as the highest-finishing performers at the NCAA Indoor & Outdoor Championships who also achieved USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual status. Those who earned multiple individual championship titles ranked higher in the tie-breaking process, and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final tiebreaker to establish a winner.

Along with the many honors for her work in the classroom, in May Gaye became the first female runner in program history to compete in the NCAA Regionals for outdoor track & field. She also became the first athlete in program history to finish first at the ECAC Championships for cross country.

In track & field, Gaye is the owner of four individual school records: the 3K and 5K indoors, as well as the 5K and 10K outdoors. As a three-time ECAC All-East selection in cross country, Marist honored her with the Marist Sportsperson of the Year award during the Senior Awards Banquet. This marks the first time a member of the cross country/track and field team was given the award since Susan Golden won in 2003.

Although Gaye will no longer be on the team in the fall, Coach Chuck Williams has said, “We are losing some key seniors, these women have laid the foundation for this program to rise to new heights. For Michelle, we couldn't have asked for a better finish to a decorated career.”