June 24, 2010
View CoSIDA Release
Jacqui Barrett (Woburn, MA), who won the NCAA Division II championship in the shot put, was named to the ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-America Second Team, released Thursday.
Barrett is UMass Lowell's first Academic All-American since UMass Lowell's field hockey coach Shannon (LeBlanc) Hlebichuk ('98), earned the distinction in 1997.
The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America teams are voted upon by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The College Division includes NCAA Division II and III colleges and universities.
Barrett was named to the ESPN College Division District I (Northeast) All-Academic First Team on June 6, which secured her eligibility for the Academic All-America squad.
"We are extremely proud of Jacqui for her work in the classroom and on the track," said UML Head Coach Gary Gardner. "She is the benchmark of a successful student-athlete. Whatever accolades she receives are well deserved and earned with hard work in and out of the classroom."
The honor is the latest of a handful of athletic and academic awards in what has been a spectacular season for Barrett. She won the NCAA championship in the shot put on Saturday, May 29, when her school-record throw of 50 feet, 8.25 inches bested the remainder of the field.
The championship was the highlight of four major titles this season as Barrett captured the New England championship - against throwers from all three NCAA divisions - on May 8 and set a meet record with a toss of 47' 9.25''. She also won both the indoor (47' 7.25'') and outdoor shot put at the Northeast-10 Conference championships.
Tabbed the East Region Field Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), Barrett graduated with a 3.54 cumulative grade point average as a psychology major.
Barrett has been named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team three times as well as the NE-10 All-Academic Teams on two occasions. On Apr. 27, she was named the recipient of the NE-10 Track & Field Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award, presented to one student-athlete in each NE-10-sponsored sport.
Barrett is the daughter of Edward Barrett of Woburn, MA, and Carlene Strangeways of Woburn, MA.
