LA JOLLA, Calif. – Evan Shimasaki and Naomi Chin of the UC San Diego track and field team, as well as Isabelle Shepherd of both Triton track and field and cross country have been named to the 2020-21 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 8 First Team. The organization revealed its annual selections on Thursday afternoon.
 
The NCAA Division I CoSIDA District 8 is comprised of institutions from Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Canada. Shimasaki is one of 12 student-athletes honored from the men's side, while Chin and Shepherd make up two of 11 individuals recognized from the women's side.
 
The prestigious award, voted on by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. To be eligible for nomination, a scholar-athlete must hold at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA, participate in 50 percent of the competitions that an institution schedules, and have completed at least one full year at their institution.
 
Shimasaki, a pole vaulter from Seattle, Wash., has generated an impressive resume over the course of four years in the blue and gold. Academically, the chemical engineering major holds a cumulative GPA of 3.50 and was recently named to the Big West Conference All-Academic team.
 
In addition, Shimasaki is a two-time United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honoree and a NCAA Championship qualifier. In 2020, Shimasaki tied UC San Diego's all-time program record in the pole vault upon clearing a height of 16'6.75", ranking him second in the nation at the conclusion of the shortened season. During the 2021 slate, Shimasaki placed first in his event at both the Matador Invite (15'9.25") and the Triton Quadrangular (15'7").
 
Chin, a mechanical engineering major from Dublin, has generated a perfect GPA of 4.0 following two years on the campus of La Jolla. Like Shimasaki, Chin was recently listed on the Big West All-Academic team.
 
As a rookie in 2020, prior to the season cancelation, Chin ranked first in the conference after soaring to a personal best 11'11.75" at the Rossi Relays. The mark entered the young pole vaulter into the Triton record books at seventh overall. A California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Star, Chin matched her personal record at the 2021 Long Beach State Jumps Fest. She also took first place at the Chris Rinne Twilight (11'6.25") in Riverside during UC San Diego's inaugural Division I campaign.
 
Shepherd is another 2021 Big West All-Academic selection, also holding a flawless 4.0 GPA in completion of her sophomore year. Hailing from San Diego, the biochemistry/chemistry major secured USTFCCCA All-Academic honors in 2019. She was the second Triton and fifth runner overall to cross the finish line at the 2019 Triton Classic and acquired first-place as part of the 4x800 relay squad at the 2020 Rossi Relays. The 2021 season brought Shepherd a pair of personal bests in the 1500 (4:45.35) and in the 800 (2:24.97).
 
Shimasaki, Chin and Shepherd are all first-time CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team award winners. The most recent track and field athlete to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors is Dan Golubovic back in 2016, while 2015 marks the last time a cross country athlete was selected – Clint Rosser and Paige Hughes.
 
All three Tritons will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot. First-, second- and third- team Academic All-America recipients will be announced in mid-August.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.