Nicole Court-Menendez

GULF SHORES, Ala. Nicole Court-Menendez is a perfect four-for-four on All-American honors just two years into her college track and field career.

Court-Menendez wrapped up her sophomore season with the Dakota Wesleyan University track team Friday afternoon at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala., with a fourth consecutive All-American honor.

The latest All-American honor means the Lewiston, Maine, native gets to make history for DWU track again.

Court-Menendez, who took eighth in the 5,000-meter race walk Friday afternoon, is just the second athlete in Tiger athletic history track and field or otherwise to earn four or more All-American honors in a career. She joins Jamey Sperle in the elite group, and needs just three more honors to match his incredible total of seven All-American honors in his career as a sprinter with the Tiger track team.

Court-Menendez finished eighth for the second straight year at the outdoor national championships, which is exactly where she was seeded heading into this year s race. She finished with a time of 28:30.46, just behind Goshen s Abby Dunn, who took seventh with a 28:11.63. Missouri Baptist swept the top two places in the event with Mereth Zalba winning in 26:38.36 and Molly Josephs taking second in 26:43.26.

This is the fourth eighth-place finish at nationals for Court-Menendez, who took eighth in the 3,000-meter race walk at the 2013 and 2014 indoor national championships and eighth in the 5,000-meter race at both the 2013 and 2014 outdoor national championships. She is the first female athlete to earn multiple All-American honors at the indoor national championships and to earn All-American accolades at more than one outdoor national championship. She is also the first female in DWU track history to be named All-American at both the indoor and outdoor national championships.

Friday s race wrapped up the 2014 season for Court-Menendez and the DWU track and field team. Court-Menendez will compete with the Tiger cross country team in the fall.