THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls State University cross country student-athletes Elsa Rijpstra and Randy Canady have been named Southland Cross Country All-Academic second-team selections, the league office announced.

Rijpstra finished the semester with a 4.0 grade point average in Health Science-Athletic Training, while Canady finished with a 3.129 grade point average in Interdisciplinary Studies.

This season, Rijpstra earned four top-15 finishes, including a second-place finish in the 4th annual Nicholls XC Invitational. She placed sixth (13:43) in the UNO XC Opener to start the season and eighth (18:13.2) in the LSU XC Invitational. The Oentsjerk, The Netherlands native, finished the year with a 14th-place (21:34) finish in the 2022 SLC Championship.

Canady had top-ten finishes in back-to-back meets this season. First, he earned eighth place (20:39) in the 4th annual Nicholls XC Invitational then took sixth place at the LSU XC Invitational with a time of 18:40.4. For his effort in the LSU Invitational, he was named SLC XC Men's Athlete of the Week. The Groesbeck, Texas native, ended the season with a 17th place mark in the SLC Championships with a personal best time of 24:50.

Southland Conference All-Academic Teams are voted upon by a head coach, sports information director, and academic/compliance staff member from each school. Student-Athletes of the Year are voted upon by an awards committee which consists of one administrator from each member school. Voting for one's own athletes is not permitted.

To be eligible for all-academic distinction, an athlete must hold a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average through the semester prior to the sport's championship, completed at least one full academic year at the nominating school prior to the current season, and participated in at least 50 percent of the team's competitions during the most recently completed season.