Complete release (pdf)
The 2016-17 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams have been released to recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Charlotte Taylor, a cross country All-American and a current track semifinalist in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, was tapped for honors for her stellar performance not only in her sport but also in her studies at USF.

"We are really excited for Charlotte Taylor and really, really happy for her," said assistant athletic director of compliance services Robert Tigani. "Having her come in as a graduate student and the way she's really taken to one of our Four Pillars of 'Excel in the Classroom,' she's done a fantastic job of really exemplifying what it means to be a USF student-athlete. The message that we drive home in the athletic department is we strive to have a 3.3 gpa within the department and she just takes it above and beyond that."

Taylor, a 4.0 student pursuing a graduate degree in international and development economics, matriculated to USF after earning a first degree from the University of Warwick. A U20 World Triathlete champion, Taylor took up racing as a track and cross country competitor in earnest two years ago for the Dons.

Since that time, she's notched many impressive accolades. This year, the All-American took 10th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and led the Dons to sixth place, their highest-ever NCAA team finish. On the track, she is seeded as the fastest woman in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in the NCAA West Region Preliminary Championships, where she will look to return to the NCAA finals for the second straight year.  The Spalding, England, native was also recently awarded USF's Anne Dolan Award, given annually to the Dons' Female Athlete of the Year.

"We are very proud of Charlotte – it is phenomenal to have an athlete who is not only one the fastest runners in the country on the track but also excels in the classroom," remarked USF head coach Helen Lehman-Winters. "She is a wonderful representation of our entire team and what we are all about."

"She's at the top of her class in her program," added USF's director of academic support, Joo Ae Lippe-Klein. "She's as much of a standout in her academics as she is on the track. Her professors, faculty members and peers all notice her in the classroom and then are proud of her athletically, as well."

CoSIDA began the distinguished Academic All-America program in 1952, and since then, has honored thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America scholar-athlete honors.

The Academic All-District® teams include the student-athletes in each eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada, and Taylor sits on the District 8 squad alongside nine women that represent schools from Arizona, California, Utah, Oregon and Washington.

As an All-District selection, Taylor is now in the running to add another All-American title to her name for her work in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-American team will be released in late June. Should she be voted on for national honors, she will join a list of four distinguished Dons that includes Mary Hile (women's basketball, 1980 & '81 – first team), Ola Henmo (men's soccer, 1989 – third team), Joel DeBartoli (men's basketball, 1990 – second team) and Hayden Hinkle (baseball, 2013 – third team).