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EDINBORO, PA – As runners, Edinboro
University standouts Kelly Richards (Edinboro, PA/General
McLane) and Julie Nemergut (Youngstown, OH/South Range)
were among the elite in Division II. That is now also the case
academically, as both were named to the ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-America Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
First Team.
It marks the second straight year both were
named to the Academic All-America team by members of CoSIDA
(College Sports Information Directors of America). A year ago
Richards was named to the second team, while Nemergut was accorded
a spot on the third team.
The duo also recently accounted for one-fifth
of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference 2006 Spring Top 10
Ten Award winners. It marked the fourth time Nemergut had earned
PSAC Top Ten honors, while Richards is now a three-time honoree.
Richards has a 3.98 GPA while majoring in
Health and Physical Education, with a minor in Coaching/Health &
Wellness Management. The senior recently earned All-American
honors in track & field for the second time with a third place
finish in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (11:03.00) at the NCAA
Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in
Emporia, KS. She was the top female finisher among PSAC
qualifiers. A three-time national qualifier in the event, she had
previously earned All-American honors with a seventh place finish
in 2003, and narrowly missed in 2005, placing ninth.
Earlier in the track season she placed 11th in
the steeplechase at the prestigious Penn Relays. She was the only
non-Division I competitor in the 18-person field.
Richards also won the steeplechase at the 2006
PSAC Championships with a time of 10:59.16. She was also a
standout on the cross country team, finishing as a four-time
All-PSAC and All-East Region performer. She placed fifth at the
2006 PSAC Cross Country Championships after a fourth place finish
the year before, and was ninth at the 2005 East Regional. Richards
helped Edinboro to a second place finish at the 2004 Division II
National Championships, the highest finish in school history.
A year ago Richards started the Fast Foot
Frenzy, a local 10K run, to raise money for the Leukemia and
Lymphona Society. Her father was diagnosed with leukemia in July
2004.
In late April Nemergut was recognized as
Edinboro’s Nancy Acker Award winner, presented to the top
senior female athlete. She capped the year with her second
All-American performance in track & field, thanks to a seventh
place finish in the 10,000 meter run (37:23.05). She also reached
the finals in the 5,000 meter run, but was unable to complete the
difficult double, placing 11th in the finals.
Nemergut earned All-PSAC honors in track thanks
to a first place finish in the 5,000 meter run at the PSAC
Championships. She had earlier finished ninth in the 10,000 meter
run at the Penn Relays.
Nemergut previously earned All-American honors
in track in 2004 with an eighth place finish in the 10,000 meters.
She was a national qualifier a year ago, but missed almost all of
the outdoor track season in 2005 due to injury.
In cross country, Nemergut enjoyed a
distinguished career, earning All-PSAC accolades three times and
All-East Region recognition four times. She won the PSAC
individual championship in 2004 and 2005, and was also the East
Regional champion in 2004. She finished third in the regional this
past fall. Nemergut was named the 2004 PSAC Runner of the Year and
East Region Athlete of the Year after winning the PSAC and East
Region titles, and went on to earn All-American in 2004 in cross
country with 10th place finish. Edinboro finished second at the
2004 National Championships, the highest finish in school history.
Nemergut is a Special Education/Elementary
Education major with a 3.91 GPA. She has already been awarded an
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, and intends to compete in track at
Edinboro next spring to complete her eligibility. Richards is a
finalist for an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, and will find out
her fate shortly.
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