Liz Bloch and Emily Byrd Named CoSIDA Academic All-District

Liz Bloch and Emily Byrd Named CoSIDA Academic All-District

GREENWOOD, Ind. – Michigan Tech cross country and track & field student-athletes Liz Bloch and Emily Byrd have been named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District District 4 Division II Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Team for their accomplishments athletically and academically. Bloch and Byrd are two of 16 student-athletes selected to represent District 4, which consists of institutions from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Great Lakes Valley Conference, and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

A Biomedical Engineering major, Bloch will graduate from Michigan Tech with an undergraduate GPA of 3.87. The senior from St. Clair Shores, Mich. finished off her Michigan Tech track & field career in style with two All-America finishes at the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The two-time GLIAC champion in the 1500m, Bloch earned First Team All-America honors for finishing fifth in the 1500m (4:37.75) and a Second Team All-America honor for the 11th-best time in the 800m preliminary (2:13.50). Bloch finished the 2019 outdoor track & field season with the eighth best time in the country in the 1500m (4:24.67 – Bison Outdoor Classic) and the 15th best time in Division II in the 800m (2:09.57 – Dr. Keeler Invitational).

Bloch also had a stellar cross country for the Huskies, helping the women's team finish seventh at the 2018 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships by finishing 53rd (23:47.7). Bloch earned All-GLIAC Second Team honors for Michigan Tech at the 2018 GLIAC Championships (12th, 22:06.5) and was an All-Region honoree at the 2018 NCAA Midwest Region Championships (18th, 22:16.4).

Bloch received national academic recognition as she was named to the 2018 USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic Team for cross country, and has been named GLIAC All-Academic Excellence several times during the cross country and track & field seasons.

As for Byrd, the junior from Perrysville, Ohio completed the 2018-19 academic year with a 3.88 cumulative GPA as an Environmental Engineering major. The highlight of the season came in the final race of the year, where Byrd earned All-America for finishing 20th at the 2018 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships (23:13.7). Additionally, she earned All-GLIAC First Team with an eighth-place finish at the GLIAC Cross Country Championships (21:47.4) and received All-Region honors for finishing 10th at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships (22:00.2).

Byrd picked up where she left off during the track & field season, placing third in the 10,000m and earning All-GLIAC Third Team at the 2019 GLIAC Championships before qualifying for the 10,000m at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, finishing 14th (39:27.23). In the first race of the season, Byrd smashed the school record in the 10,00m when she crossed the finish line at the Raleigh Relays in a time of 35:29.30, the 13th-best time in the country at the end of the season.

Byrd is a three-time member of the USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic Team (2016-18), and was a member of the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence in cross country and track & field.

Click here for more information on the CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District and Academic All-America teams, and click here for all the honorees of the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Team.