CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois graduate student Nicole Choquette has been named to the Google Cloud College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams on Tuesday. Choquette is one of 10 athletes selected out of District 5, representing the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the Google Cloud Academic All-America ballot, with Google Cloud Academic All-America teams announced in June.
Honoring athletes from eight regional districts across the United States and Canada, recognition is based on the combination of athletic and academic achievement. To be eligible, athletes must maintain a 3.30 cumulative GPA, have participated in 50% of team competitions and have spent at least one full calendar year at the institution.
Owning a 3.96 GPA, Choquette advanced to NCAA Quarterfinal in the 800-meter race last weekend in Sacramento. Choquette timed 2:07.30 in the opening round, and then returned to time 2:07.33 in the quarterfinal.
Originally a walk-on from Urbana, Illinois, Choquette has been Illinois' top women's track and field athletes over the past five years while graduating Summa cum laude with distinction with a Bachelor of Science in Earth, Society and Environmental last spring. The 2018 Big Ten Medal of Honor honoree is currently perusing a Master of Science in Plant Biology. Other academic highlights include University of Honors-Bronze Tablet Award, a four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a three-time United States Track and Field and Cross Country (USTFCCCA) Academic All-American.
On the track, Choquette is a three-time Big Ten medalist highlighted by a 2015 Big Ten Indoor 600-meter gold medal. In 2018, Choquette placed third in the 800m at indoor Big Ten Championships, and had her best career finish at the outdoor conference meet when she took fourth.
In addition to her success on the track and in the classroom, Choquette finds time to serve the local Champaign-Urbana community through involvement as OLLI Citizen Scientist Mentor, a Pollen Power Camp Counselor, the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, Crisis Nursery and Illinois student-produced Jock Jams.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Track and Field, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniMTrack and @IlliniWTrack) and Instagram (@IlliniMTrack and @IlliniWTrack) and like Fighting Illini Men's Track and Field and Fighting Illini Women's Track on Facebook.
