LA MIRADA, Calif. --- It has been another whirlwind year for Biola Track & Field and Cross Country. A year that is still ongoing as the team competes this week at the 2016 NAIA Outdoor Track Championships, which leaves some seniors having to miss walking in their commencement ceremonies.
 
Biola's student-athletes have a strong record of academic success that makes it so important to many of them to be able to make it to commencement. Five in particular should have no problems graduating because of their outstanding academic records. Academic records that earned them 2015-16 CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
 
Brandon Berz was the only male student-athlete to earn this prestigious honor, but a star-studded group of Lyndee Dawson, Anika Gasner, Brooke Arvidson and Nicole Falkenstein all took home the award on the women's side.
 
It is the first career Academic All-District honor for all five student-athletes. In order to earn Academic All-District honors the student-athlete must be a sophomore, junior or senior and have a cumulative grade point average over 3.30.
 
Among Biola's five honorees is a mix of kinesiology, communication disorders, liberal studies and business administration majors.
 
Athletic accomplishment is also taken into account as the award honorees are nominated, voted on and selected by the regional institutions' sports information office.
 
All five of Biola's honorees have made at least one appearance to compete at an NAIA national championship over the course of their career. Dawson, Gasner and Falkenstein are competing this week at the NAIA Track Championships. Falkenstein just set a new outdoor record in the pole vault, earned her sixth All-American honor and still caught a flight back for commencement.
 
These five have a chance to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. These awards will be announced June 21.