For the seventh year in a row, the University of Rochester women's track & field and cross country program is represented on the Academic All-America® Team for Women's Track & Field and Cross Country as selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC, formerly CoSIDA).
 
The teams, announced on Wednesday, feature Rochester senior Susan Bansbach and sophomore Megan Bell on the Second Team, while junior Kate Isaac was honored with a spot on the Third Team. Overall, 54 individuals made up the three teams in Division III for the 2022-23 season.
 
UR's three individuals represent the sixth, seventh and eighth Academic All-American® honorees in the 2022-23 academic year, setting a new department high for a single year, eclipsing the previous high of seven from the 2004-05 season. Also, the three award winners from a single program in the same season matches the Rochester record, initially set in 2006 by the football team and matched by the women's track & field/cross country team in 2021.
 
Bansbach, Bell and Isaac earning Academic All-America honors push the women's track & field and cross country program total to 14 overall, third most at Rochester, behind only football (19) and men's track & field and cross country (18).
 
All three of the women's track and field individuals earn their first Academic All-America® awards and push Rochester's all-time school total to 126 since the program's inception back in 1952. That total ranks the University among the top-50 schools overall across all divisions and among the top-20 Division III institutions.
 
"We are so proud of Susan, Megan and Kate on being named to the Academic All-America team," says Sam Albert, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. "These women obviously had a record-setting season for us on the track, winning a relay National Championship, as well as numerous league and regional titles and All-America honors, but they are also incredible students and team leaders. I am so happy to see these scholar-athletes recognized for the amazing work they do off the track as well, they certainly represent the best of what intercollegiate athletics is all about."
 
For Bansbach, the senior ended her Rochester career as top athletes in school history, capturing 11 All-American awards over her four years, five as an individual and six as a part of UR relays. She qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships every season (six) possible, in 14 events, with five of those coming in the 2022-23 season (two indoor, three outdoor). Additionally, she was a Division III National Champion in the 4x400 meter relay indoors this season and ended as national runner-up in the same event outdoors.
 
A six-time school record holder, Bansbach also has five Liberty League records and won a whopping 15 Liberty League titles over the course of her career. She was a 19-time USTFCCCA All-Region honoree, named 2023 Niagara Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and has earned Liberty League Track Athlete of the Year three times, including sweeping the 2023 indoor and outdoor awards.
 
Academically, Bansbach was named Academic All-District for back-to-back seasons, is a 2-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree and has been named All-Academic in the Liberty League for three straight years. A Lysle 'Spike' Garnish Scholar from the fall, Bansbach also was a member of the UR Senior Honor Society and plans on attending the University of Michigan next year to continue her athletic and academic career. Bansbach also played on the UR field hockey team for three seasons, was a member of the Rochester Varsity Student Athlete Advisory Committee and volunteered with the Dewitt Rotary Club and Central NY Triathlon races. She graduated in May with a dual degree in International Relations and Russian Studies and is the University's NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
 
On the track, Bell has excelled in her first two seasons with the Yellowjackets track and field program. She has earned All-America praise for her contribution to the 4x400 meter relay squad in 2023, being a part of the national champion team indoors and the runner-up squad outdoors. The indoor relay team is the Division III record holder, running a time of 3:44.84 to win the NCAA title. Additionally, the sophomore qualified for the NCAA outdoor meet individually in the 400 meters, ending the race in 14th place.
 
Bell is a 6-time All-Region performer from the USTFCCCA, has earned seven All-Liberty League awards, five of which are First Team accolades for winning conference titles. She also has helped Rochester to sweep the Liberty League titles in 2023, winning indoor and outdoor crowns and is a top-3 finisher at the All-Atlantic Regional Championships a total of five times in her two seasons.
 
Away from athletics, Bell is studying Biomedical Engineering at Rochester. She holds three scholarships and was named Liberty League All-Academic for the first time in 2023. She will be taking part in a research experience at Cleveland State University that is funded by the National Science Foundation this summer and has received the Bausch & Lomb Science Award. She also has interned with the Center for Disability Services Health Innovation Incubator and Technology Center.
 
Similarly, Isaac also is a member of the Rochester 4x400 meter relay team that finished as NCAA Division III champions indoors and runner-up outdoors. She has earned two All-America awards so far in her career and qualified for NCAA's in three straight seasons (2022 outdoors, 2023 indoors, 2023 outdoors).
 
Over the course of her career, Isaac has earned nine All-Liberty League honors, is a 3-time conference champion and has earned four titles at the All-Atlantic Regional Championships. She has added five All-Region honors and is a part of two Liberty League and two Rochester school records.
 
In the classroom, the Fairport, New York native's major is Biomedical Engineering and she is a member of Alpha Eta Mu Beta, the Biomedical Engineering National Honor Society. She has worked at the Haber Lab at the UR Medical Center and will be again working at URMC this summer, this time with the Fudge Lab. Additionally, she has been elected to the Keidaeans Senior Honor Society at Rochester and is a 2-time Liberty League All-Academic selection.
 
The 2022-23 CSC Academic All-America® Track and Field & Cross Country Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a key contributor with their team and have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average at his or her current institution.
 
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes women's and men's honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. The men's track & field and cross country Academic All-America® teams will be announced on Thursday.