WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
GAMBIER, Ohio — A quartet of Kenyon College Owls were named to the 2024 Academic All-District Women’s Track & Field Team, as selected by members of College Sports Communicators (CSC). The Kenyon contingent included seniors Lorien Kauffman and Grace Neuger, junior Paula Soric and sophomore Anna Brown.
To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete had to be a key contributor who produced a Top-50 performance in the region in a single, individual event (relays not included). The student-athlete also had to be on the team’s active roster for at least two years and had to possess a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average.
Kauffman, who ran mid-distance and specialized in the 800-meter run, earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors by taking the conference title in the 800 during the indoor championship. Her best time in the event this past season ranked her 21st in the region. One month ago, she graduated with degrees in English and Spanish.
Kauffman’s classmate, Neuger, also graduated with a degree in Spanish, as well as one in molecular biology. On the track, Neuger specialized in hurdles, but made her way on to the Academic All-District Team because of her showings in multi-event competition. During the indoor NCAC Championship, she placed 11th in the pentathlon and ranked 15th in the region. At the outdoor NCAC Championship, she finished ninth in the heptathlon and ranked 11th in the region.
Soric, Kenyon’s most decorated track & field student-athlete during the 2023-24 season, specializes in jumps. She was the 2024 NCAC indoor champion in both the long jump and triple jump, and the 2024 NCAC outdoor champion in the triple jump. At the conclusion of both the indoor and outdoor seasons, Soric was named the NCAC Field MVP. She also earned All-Region honors for both seasons and went on to qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championship, where she placed 17th in the triple jump.
Due to her superior accomplishments in competition and in the classroom, Soric, who majors in neuroscience, was deemed an Academic All-District finalist and will advance to the Academic All-America ballot to be voted on by CSC members.
Back on the track and running alongside Kauffman in the 800 was Brown, who also excelled in the 400-meter and mile runs. During indoor competition, Brown placed third in the 800 and second in the mile at the conference championship. When things moved outside, Brown placed second in the 800 at the conference meet. Throughout the two seasons, Brown’s times in the 400, 800 and mile all ranked within the region’s Top-50 performances.
