SXU Women's Student-Athletes Receive Honors
Twelve members from the Saint Xavier University women’s track and field team were named to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) All-Academic Team and eight claimed Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
Among the incredibly talented and studious 12 members, Kristin Booker, Victoria Dolbniak and Isabelle Alatorre stood out due to their impeccable GPAs and their ultimate dedication to academics.
Junior Booker is now a two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete after earning the honor last season, and senior Dolbniak and sophomore Alatorre are first-time selections. Dolbniak and Alatorre were also named NAIA Scholar-Athletes during the fall semester for cross-country.
1,203 student-athletes from across the NAIA were recognized. To be eligible, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.50 GPA. Booker is an exercise science major holding a 3.84 GPA, Alatorre is a computer science major holding a 3.85 GPA, and Dolbniak recently graduated as a finance and marketing major with a 3.70 GPA.
Dolbniak is currently working on becoming a loan officer and plans to get a corporate job at the end of the summer. She hopes to return to school to eventually become a business professor because she aspires to help students, just like the professors that mentored her throughout her time at SXU. She credits her post-grad success to the rigorous academic work she had to juggle while being a student-athlete at SXU.
"I balanced being a student-athlete by perfecting my time management skills. I also worked and gained internship experience while participating in cross country and track and field, running all year-round. I was able to manage everything through calendars, tight schedules, excellent communication with coaches, professors and managers, and some sleepless nights. It wasn't easy, but I learned a lot, and I'm grateful for everything I did along the way," Dolbniak said.
Booker, who is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, desired to go to college out of state, and with the opportunity to pursue an exercise science degree and run both track and field and cross country, SXU checked every box for her. After graduating from SXU in 2025, she plans to go to graduate school to become a physical therapist.
"I have always loved the challenge of being a student-athlete. My academic journey means a lot to me. I have always been very determined and stern with myself when it comes to my grades. My journey has been very successful, and getting my degree at SXU will help me in pursuing employment and grad school," Booker said.
Alatorre has strong family ties to SXU. Her uncle and cousin were alumni, and her brother was a freshman when she went through the recruiting process for track and field and cross country. The decision to come to SXU was rooted in finding a good team culture while also finding a school that would help her reach her goal of one day becoming a software engineer.
"I am honored and grateful to be named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete among all the other outstanding student-athletes. At times, it is difficult to balance both, but having an amazing support system has kept me focused. My academic journey at SXU is my main focus, and it is very important to me. Pursuing a degree at SXU has already expanded my social network and opened many opportunities, and I believe it will continue to do so," Alatorre said.