ASHLAND – Southern Oregon University runners Aspen Abbott, Jessa Perkinson and Ray Schireman have been selected to the Academic All-District 4 track and field/cross country teams, as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The CoSIDA program recognizes student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. To be eligible for the teams, a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 is required. Forty-eight women's and 41 men's track and field/cross country athletes across the country were voted onto all-district teams, and all of them are now eligible for the CoSIDA Academic All-America teams, which will be announced in June.

Abbott, a senior from Gardnerville, Nev., is a pre-physical therapy major with a 3.89 GPA. She wrapped up her four-year SOU career over the weekend at the NAIA Championships with a ninth-place finish in the 800 meters – the top finish ever for a Raider in the event – in a time of 2 minutes, 13.73 seconds, breaking her own school record. She also helped SOU's 4x400 relay team to ninth place, and two weeks ago she won Cascade Conference titles in both races. Abbott became an NAIA All-American for the first time this year at the NAIA Indoor Championships, where she was part of SOU's runner-up distance medley relay team.

Schireman, a junior from Medford, is a biochemistry major with a 3.59 GPA. He started the 2016-17 school year with his third straight all-conference performance at the Cascade Conference Cross Country Championships (he was the individual champ in 2015), then helped the Raider men to the 2016 NAIA cross country title by coming in 44th overall (25:31.1) in the 8K race. This spring, he took second place in the 10K (32:03.62) at the CCC Track and Field Championships in Ashland.

Perkinson, a junior from Roseburg, is a psychology major with a 3.72 GPA and now a nine-time NAIA All-American following her performances at the NAIA Outdoor Championships. Her banner season started with a third-place finish at the NAIA Cross Country Championships; continued with a fourth-place effort in the mile and second place in the distance medley relay at the NAIA Indoor Championships; and ended with a 5K championship – her second, after winning the 10K in 2016 – and a sixth-place showing in the 1,500 at the NAIA Outdoor Championship. Already the most accomplished runner in Raider history, Perkinson owns Raider records in the 1,500 (4:30.11), the 5K (16:37.47) and the 10K (36:10.83).

SOU ended the year with eight Academic All-District team members. Toria Bradford (women's basketball), Presley Lambert (women's soccer), Kylie Moltzen (women's soccer), Kelsey Randall (softball) and Jack Singler (football) were the others.