NEW ORLEANS—South Dakota senior Megan Billington, in addition to the Coyote men's and women's teams have earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors as announced Thursday by the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association.
 
Billington becomes the first Coyote individual to be recognized by the USTFCCCA since 2015-16. She's among 156 women to receive the honor, including being one of four from the Summit League. To be eligible for the award, the honorees must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and have finished in the top-25 at the NCAA Regionals or as an All-American at the NCAA Championships.
 
A native of Grand Island, Nebraska, Billington is a kinesiology and sport management major with a 3.63 cumulative grade-point average. On the course, Billington is a four-time all-Summit League honoree as she helped the Coyotes to four of their five-straight Summit titles. She placed 22nd at the 2018 NCAA Midwest Regional, earning her All-Midwest Region honors.
 
The Coyote women combine for a 3.69 cumulative team GPA which ranks 18th nationally. The Coyotes are one of seven Summit schools to make the list and boast the second-best GPA among them.

South Dakota's men hold a 3.32 cumulative team GPA. They are one of five Summit League teams to make the All-Academic list.
 
To be eligible for All-Academic team status, a program must have a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or higher and have at least five runners start at an NCAA Regional.