Completed Event: Track and Field at Battle on the Bayou on April 3, 2026 ,
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Track and Field
at Battle on the Bayou
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Track Duo Academic All-Americans
June 19, 2009 | Track and Field
June 19, 2009
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma Track and Field athletes Amy Backel and Mikaela Johansson were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® women's track & field/cross country team Friday after recording perfect 4.0 grade point averages while excelling in the athletic venue as well. The two throwers were named to the university division's second team after a season that saw both competing in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Norman with Johansson advanced to the NCAA Championships in the hammer throw.
For Backel, a civil engineering major, the honor marked the second of her career after being named to the publication's third team in 2008.
Johansson, a public relations major, closed out her Oklahoma career with a 12th-place finish in the women's hammer throw at the NCAAs with a top throw of 179-8 (54.77). Despite finishing 12th in the event, Johansson still exceeded expectations as she entered the meet ranked 17th nationally. Johansson ended her Oklahoma career as the program record holder in both the indoor weight throw and the hammer throw.
Backel narrowly missed an automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships in the shot put as she finished sixth in the event at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a throw of 51-6.25 (15.70). Backel was in fifth and set to qualify for NCAAs until Texas Tech's Patience Knight, who entered the meet ranked first in the region, recorded a throw of 51-11.75 (15.84) on her fifth attempt to overtake Backel and move into the cut line for the national championships.
To be eligible for the Academic All-America team, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
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