A BASINGSTOKE athlete has achieved the highest academic honour a student-athlete can attain each year in the United States after being named in an All-America third team.

Mair Edwards, who is now a member of the Eastern Michigan University women's track and field programme, has been named a member of the 2023 women's track and field/cross country Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) academic all-America third team.

Edwards is the sole representative from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) to receive CSC academic all-America honours in women's track and field/cross country this year.

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She is also the sixth different track and field/cross country runner to earn the honour and the third woman.

Edwards is a former student of The Costello School in Basingstoke.

As a graduate student studying molecular and cellular biology, she maintained an exceptional 4.00 grade-point average.

She has also contributed to the success of the Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team.

In 2023, she played a vital role in the team's achievements at the conference level. The Eagles clinched the 2023 MAC indoor track and field championship and narrowly missed the top spot at the 2023 MAC outdoor track and field championships, finishing as runners-up by a mere three points.

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Individually, Edwards displayed her speed and skill, earning nine points for Eastern at the indoor meet.

She secured a remarkable second-place finish in the 400m dash and placed eighth in the 200m race.

Out on the outdoor oval, she continued to make an impact, securing an eighth-place finish in the 200m event.

She also played a crucial role as the second leg in the gold-winning 4x400m relay team and contributed to the team's third-place finish in the 4x100m relay.