NEW ORLEANS, La.--The Hood College women's track and field team was among the elite squads named to the 2009 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic teams, as announced by association officials.

To be nominated for this honor, a track and field team must maintain a cumulative 3.0 grade-point average throughout the academic year. Hood joined the Salisbury University women's track & field team as the only Capital Athletic Conference institutions to earn this distinction. Also of note, Hood's women's squad placed 32nd in the nation with a combined 3.414 team GPA. Shenandoah University compiled the highest Division III GPA on the women's side, posting a 3.676 team average.

"I am very proud of the women's track & field team and their performance on the field and in the classroom," said head coach Brent Ayer. "They have won national All-Academic honors all three years they have been a varsity program and the women's cross country team has won for five consecutive years. On the field this season, we won the Capital Athletic Conference "Athlete of the Year" award, six all-conference designations, had our first NCAA national qualifier and posted nine CAC all-academic awards on the women's track & field team. This was a great effort all the way around for a very young program."