Release courtesy of Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications
CoSIDA Academic All-District Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Teams
Johns Hopkins' Sophia Cortazzo, Rebecca Grusby, Annie Gutierrez, Ariel Keklak and Samantha Levy were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team, it was announced this afternoon. The honorees will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot, which will be announced from June 22-25.
The District II region includes Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia. To be nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.30 or higher cumulative grade point average and be a starter or significant reserve.
The Blue Jays have now produced 32 all-district honorees and have had at least one student-athlete on the team in eight straight years.
Cortazzo, a double major in Environmental Science and Psychology with a cumulative GPA of 3.78, earns her first career Academic All-District honor. The senior pole vaulter added another medal to her impressive resume in 2020. Cortazzo posted a 3.56 meter vault at the Centennial Indoor Championships to grab the silver medal. Cortazzo earned seven Centennial Conference medals during her career.
The Warren, NJ native has an impressive resume both on-and-off the track. Cortazzo has spent time as: a Researcher with the JHU Avolio Lab, an intern with Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and as a River-Friendly Intern with the Raritan Headwaters Association. Cortazzo has also helped her peers as a study consultant and teaching assistant.
Grusby graduates with her Bachelor's in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. A former recipient of the Provost's Undergraduate Research Award, Grusby posted a cumulative GPA of 3.79. She was named Centennial Conference Fall Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2018. Hailing from Newton Center, MA, the distance runner has professional experience as an R&D Intern with Becton Dickinson. Grusby has been an Undergrad Research Assistant with Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute and was also a Teaching Assistant with the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
2019-20 was a banner year for Grusby on the track, as well. She was named an Indoor Track & Field All-American after qualifying for NCAA's in the 3,000. At Centennial Indoors, Grusby was part of the DMR team that earned gold and the 4x800 team that grabbed silver. In the fall, Grusby finished second at the Centennial Cross Country Championships and followed up that effort with an All-America performance, placing 21st at NCAA's to help lead the Jays to national championship number six.
The third honoree, Gutierrez, had a dominant Indoor Track & Field season, earning All-America marks after qualifying for NCAA's in the pole vault and the pentathlon. At the conference level, the junior earned three gold medals (high jump, pole vault, pentathlon) and a silver (60 hurdles). For her efforts, she was named Co-Outstanding Field Performer by the Centennial Conference.
Away from the track, Gutierrez has earned a cumulative GPA of 3.55 while majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Gutierrez was a summer Research Assistant with the Organic Chemistry Lab at Florida International in 2018. This past summer, the Coral Gables, FL product worked as a Consulting Summer Analyst with Accenture Federal Services. Gutierrez is also the Head Peer Tutor for the PILOT Program and is a study consultant for her fellow classmates.
Keklak, another JHU athlete to earn Indoor Track & Field All-America honors, adds Academic All-District honors to her growing trophy case. Keklak qualified for Indoor NCAA's in the mile with a time of 4:54.01 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. In the fall, Keklak earned All-America honors after finishing 23rd at NCAA's, helping to lead the Jays to yet another national title.
In school, the junior has a 3.6 GPA while majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Away from Hopkins, Keklak has worked as an intern with Seaside Sustainability, Inc. in Rockport, MA. She also spent time interning in D.C. with the US EPA Office of Internal Communications.
Last, but certainly not least, Levy earns Academic All-District honors. The Fayetteville, NY product picked up four medals at Centennial Indoors, qualifying for NCAA's in the 5,000 to earn All-America honors. Levy was the gold medalist in the 5,000 and was part of the championship DMR team. The senior finished second in the mile and the 4x800, as well. Levy had the best finish by a Blue Jay at the Cross Country Championships, finishing 17th, earning All-America honors. Levy went three-for-three in the fall, being named All-Centennial, All-Region and All-America.
Levy has a cumulative GPA of 3.43 while majoring in Political Science. The senior has built a strong resume, recently serving as a Senate Intern with the Office of U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. Prior to that, Levy has been a Political Affairs Intern with The Borgen Project and a Political Science Intern with Tzav Pius.