SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – McKenzie Burian was one of 11 Summit League cross country student-athletes, five men and six women, to be named to the 2021 Academic All-League Team the conference announced on Tuesday. Student-athletes were chosen for the award based on academic and athletic performances this past season.
This season, Burian was one of the top runners for the Kelly green and white, finishing 14th at the Summit League Championships to earn second-team all-conference accolades. Her best overall finish was sixth at the Ron Pynn Classic, where she ran a personal-best time of 17:59.4 on the 5K course. She also ran a personal record time of 21:46.4 in the 6K at the Arturo Barrios Invitational at Texas A&M. In total, Burian was the second runner to cross the finish line for UND in two meets and was the third finisher for North Dakota in three meets.
Burian capped her season with a 122nd-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional, moving up 83 spots since her previous time toeing the line at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. The Fargo native carries a GPA of 4.0 while majoring in biology pre-health.
To be eligible for the Academic All-League Team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.3, and have completed at least one full academic year at the current institution, while having competed in at least half of their team’s competitions and the Summit League Championships.
Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors, and voting is conducted by both the SID’s and facility athletic representatives (FARs). Each team is made up of five student-athletes receiving the most votes. In the case of a tie, both student-athletes receive the honor, which is why there are six on the women’s team this season.The complete Summit League Academic All-Conference Team can be found below:
2021 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
| Name | School | Year | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Leah Hansen** | South Dakota State | So. | Willmar, Minn. | 3.91 | History |
| Anna Donnay*** | South Dakota State | Sr. | Kimball, Minn. | 3.92 | Dairy Production and Manufacturing |
| Cailee Peterson** | South Dakota State | Sr. | Mayville, N.D. | 4.00 | Wildlife and Fisheries Science/Ecology |
| Kelby Anderson*** | North Dakota State | Sr. | Bismark, N.D. | 3.81 | Nursing |
| McKenzie Burian | North Dakota | So. | Fargo, N.D. | 4.00 | Biology Pre-Health |
| Abby Ripperda** | South Dakota | R-Jr. | Sioux Falls, S.D. | 3.84 | Medical Biology (Masters of Physical Therapy) |
*Career Cross Country Academic All-League honors
2021 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
| Name | School | Year | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Charlie Babcock | South Dakota | R-So. | Forest Lake, Minn. | 3.97 | Medical Biology |
| Tom Breuckman** | South Dakota State | Jr. | Andover, Minn. | 3.93 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Daniel Burkhalter | South Dakota State | So. | Prairie City, S.D. | 4.00 | Statistics |
| Zach Haire | St. Thomas | Jr. | Breckenridge, Minn. | 3.99 | Financial Management |
| Ben Olson** | South Dakota State | Jr. | Coon Rapids, Minn. | 3.69 | Mechanical Engineering |
*Career Cross Country Academic All-League honors
*Tyler Wells, UND Athletics
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