AUSTIN, Texas --- Tusculum University distance runner Nicole McMillen has been named to the NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Academic All-District 3 first team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
McMillen earns Academic All-District honors for a third time in her career. She garners Academic All-District accolades for cross country and track & field for a second straight year and was a 2018 selection for women's soccer. McMillen advances to the Academic All-America® ballot with winners being announced later next month.
The Academic All-District 3 team is selected from nominees representing colleges and universities in the South Atlantic Conference, Conference Carolinas and Peach Belt Conference.
McMillen earned her undergraduate degree from Tusculum in business management where she finished with a 3.92 cumulative grade point average. She is enrolled in graduate school at Tusculum in business administration and has a 4.00 GPA. She is a member of the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, Tusculum Athletic Director Roll, Dean's List, President's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.
She is also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American® as she was named to the 2018 women's soccer second team and was a first team honoree for cross country and track & field last season. McMillen is the only student-athlete in school history to earn Academic All-America® in separate programs.
The Pickering, Ontario native was honored as the SAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year and the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year after winning three gold medals at the SAC Indoor Track & Field Championships and setting four school and conference records during the 2019-20 indoor track & field season. McMillen also qualified for nationals in the mile, but did not declare for the event in order to focus on the 3,000 and 5,000 meter events.
McMillen helped the Pioneers to a third-place finish in the team standings at the SAC Indoor Championships, winning the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters and running the anchor leg in the gold-medal winning distance medley relay for the Pioneers. During the season, McMillen set school and conference records in the mile (4:53.57), 3,000 meters (9:39.38) and 5,000 meters (16:53.86).
She was named the South Atlantic Conference Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year last fall as she won four races including the SAC Championship by 25 seconds with a time of 21:37.4, and was second at the NCAA II Southeast Region meet with a time of 21:02.1 to qualify for nationals for a second straight year, where she finished in 92nd place out of 260 runners.
She was named the 2019 SAC Women's Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year and to follow up being tabbed 2018-19 SAC Women's Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Earlier this week, McMillen was named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA II Indoor Track & Field All-America team both in the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters. She finished sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2019 NCAA II National Outdoor Championship to earn All-America accolades.
CoSIDA NCAA II Academic All-District 3 Women's Cross Country and Track & Field First Team
Kylie Dahlberg, Lenoir-Rhyne
Natane Deruytter, Queens
Emma Driggers, Francis Marion
Nia Elmore, Clayton State
Aleah Johnson, North Georgia
Jocelyn Lowe, Lenoir-Rhyne
Sarah Mae McGowan, Georgia College
Nicole McMillen, Tusculum
Hannah Mercer, Catawba
Taylor Moncrief, Mount Olive
