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Posted: Jun 28, 2023

Barre, Giordani Named Academic All-Americans

action image of a woman jumping and a woman running with Academic All-America logo in the center and text reading Liz Barre 2nd Team and Samantha Giordani 3rd Team

(AUSTIN, Texas) – Two Carnegie Mellon University women's track and field athletes have been selected to the 2023 Academic All-America® women's cross country and track and field team as selected by the College Sports Communicators for NCAA Division III. Seniors Liz Barre and Samantha Giordani each earned their first selection with Barre named to the second team and Giordani to the third team.

This prestigious award for Barre and Giordani marks the ninth time a Carnegie Mellon women's cross country or track and field athlete has been recognized as an Academic All-American and the third time two have earned the award in the same year.

Barre graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering with a second major in engineering and public policy while carrying a 3.77 GPA. She had a standout senior year, earning the program's first individual national championship when she won the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. At that same meet, Barre placed fourth in the high jump to become the first Tartan female to earn All-America recognition in two events at the indoor championships. When combining Barre's indoor and outdoor seasons, the senior set seven school records and earned 11 all-region honors. She was also named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Most Outstanding Performer for Field Events at both the indoor and outdoor UAA Championships, earning championship titles in the high jump and long jump for indoor and the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, and long jump for outdoor.

Barre also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in four events, declaring to compete in three. While looking to better her ninth-place finish in the heptathlon at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Barre was injured and had to withdraw from the heptathlon, 100-meter hurdles, and long jump this year. For her career, Barre is a three-time All-American and seven-time UAA Champion.

Barre's work ethic extends beyond the track and field, as she was a three-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), a team captain, received Tartan Leader of Tomorrow recognition, and interned at Advion and Montauk Renewables. She will be returning to CMU to pursue her master's degree in energy science technology and policy.

Giordani earned Academic All-America recognition by compiling a 3.65 GPA in mechanical engineering with a second major in biomedical engineering. The senior set three school records during the indoor season and became the first Tartan female to compete in two sprinting events at the NCAA Indoor Championships, running in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes. She also repeated as the UAA Indoor Champion in the 200-meter dash. For her career, Giordani earned 16 all-region accolades and two All-America honors, racing to sixth- and eighth-place finishes in the 200-meter dash and 100-meter dash, respectively, at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.