SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Cal State San Marcos Athletics saw two of its student-athletes earn 2019-20 CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 honors as Clarissa Garcia from women’s track & field/cross country and Joshua Litwiller from men’s track & field/cross country were named recipients of the award on Friday.
The 2019-2020 Academic All-District Men’s and Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Teams, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA.
Garcia was one of 12 women to earn first-team honors for the district. The junior molecular and cellular biology major from San Diego sports a cumulative grade-point average of 3.74. Garcia had quite the spring semester for the Cougars as she began the new year by breaking the CSUSM 800-meter indoor record with an NCAA Provisional time of 2:14.06. In the abbreviated outdoor season, she posted the fastest 800-meter time in Division II at 2:15.52 and had the second-fastest 1500-meter time at 4:37.03. For her efforts, she was named to the CCAA Track & Field All-Star Team.
This is Garcia’s first Academic All-District honor. Last year, she was named to the 2018-19 CCAA All-Academic Team after she was crowned the 2019 CCAA 800-Meter Champion in addition to taking home CCAA first-team honors.
Litwiller was one of 10 men to earn first-team honors for the district. The senior business administration major from Carlsbad came in with a cumulative GPA of 3.79. Litwiller had a cross country season to remember in the fall of 2019. He became the first NCAA Division II West Region champion in school history. He was subsequently named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Runner of the Year. Prior to his regional win, Litwiller became the team’s first CCAA champion from a men’s team in program history and was named the CCAA Runner of the Year. To go along with his All-CCAA and All-West Region honors, Litwiller went on to earn USTFCCCA All-America honors after placing 17th at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
This is Litwiller’s second Academic All-District honor as he first earned the award last season. Prior to this season, he was a three-time CCAA All-Academic Team honoree, a three-time All-CCAA winner for cross country and a two-time All-CCAA recipient for track & field. He was also named the 2016 CCAA Freshman of the Year for cross country.
Garica and Litwiller will now advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot. Academic All-America honorees will be announced from June 22-25.
