NORFOLK, Virginia - The hard work both in the classroom and on the track has paid off for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) track & field team, as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) recognized 18 Hawks for their efforts over the season.

Three of the Hawks' athletes-juniors Shelasia Leitch (Newark, New Jersey), Khalil Rmidi Kinini (Malaga, Spain) and Shauntel Lucius (Newark, New Jersey) were each named the MEAC Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week. Lucius and 15 others were named to the conference's All-Academic Team.

Leitch was named the Women's Track recipient after setting the school record in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.57 seconds while finishing third at the Scarlet & White Invitational She surpassed the record of 8.63 seconds set by Shavon Robinson back in 2005.

Rmidi Kinini earned the Men's Track award after winning the mile at Harvard's Crimson Elite with a time of 4:15.63 and the 3000 meter run at the Scarlet & White with a time of 8:14.58. Lucius won the triple jump at the Scarlet & White with a leap of 12.02 meters, but topped that distance at the Crimson Elite with a jump of 12.07 meters in a runner up performance.

In addition to the trio's athletic prowess, 16 UMES student-athletes were recognized on the All-Academic Team for having a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average or better while residing at the institution for at least one year.

"I want to congratulate our track and field student-athletes, who maintained a 3.0 or better grade point average, during the 2015-16 academic year," said MEAC Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas. "In addition to acknowledging the accomplishments of these student-athletes, I would also like to thank the institutional and athletic academic support staffs, faculty, coaches and families of the student-athletes for their support in the success of their student-athletes in track and field and in the classroom."

Lucius earned awards for
both athletics and academics

Lucius earned All-Academics honor, along with seniors Jheniel Kelly (Edgewood, Maryland) and Donisha Porter (Aberdeen, Maryland); juniors Rachel Halmon (Waldorf, Maryland), Jennaya Hield (Freeport, Bahamas), Khalil Rmidi Kinini (Malaga, Spain), and Kevin Stanford (Salisbury, Maryland); sophomores Regyn Davis-Young (Lanham, Maryland), Loundy Desire (Queens Village, N.Y.), Tanise Edwards (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Janice Lane (Carson, California), Stanley Meli (Eldoret, Kenya) and Dypna Umunakwe (Bronx, New York); and redshirt freshmen Luan Gabriel (Roseau, Dominica), Jero Sneh (Wilmington, Delaware) and Talyah Winston (New Brunswick, New Jersey).

UMES continues its season with the MEAC's Indoor Track & Field Championship in Landover, Maryland, beginning this Thursday.