2025 USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Awards
In the 2024-25 season, the Hillsdale College men's and women's track and field teams continued to excel -- both on the track and in the classroom.
Earlier this week, the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association recognized the Chargers with a variety of awards that all reflect the programs' academic success. Both men's and women's teams earned Team All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA, and 13 athletes from both programs were individually recognized as well.Â
In order to receive the Team All-Academic distinction from the USTFCCCA, programs must have an average cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher across all athletes in the program.
It's a mark both programs easily exceeded in 2023-24. The Charger men had a cumulative GPA of 3.30 , while the women's mark of 3.43 also passed the required threshold for the honor with plenty of room to spare.
Hillsdale's success in competition -- 14 total berths to NCAA DII Indoor and Outdoor championships, five combined first-team All-American honors, and the program's first two individual national championships on the men's side since 2015 -- showed the Chargers' athletic strength, and many of those athletes also excelled academically, with several of them receiving All-Academic recognition from the USTFCCCA individually.
In order to qualify for All-Academic honors, an athlete must post a 3.25 cumulative GPA and achieve at least one provisional qualifying mark during the 2024-25Â indoor and outdoor seasons.
On the men's side, two-time national champion Ben Haas was one of four Chargers honorees, adding All-Academic distinction for the second straight season to a long list of accolades that included titles in the weight throw indoors and the hammer throw outdoors at the NCAA DII Championships. NCAA DII Outdoor Championship qualifier Richie Johnston received his third All-Academic honor, while Ross Kuhn, an All-American in the 1,500m run, earned the award for the first time, as did teammate and distance runner Gabriel Phillips.
On the women's side, mid-distance runner Reese Dragovich earned All-Academic honors for the fourth straight year, claiming the maximum number of the honor possible for her career at Hillsdale, while pole vaulter and NCAA DII Outdoor qualifier Kaylee Jackson also earned All-Academic honors for the third straight season, and junior sprinter Francesca Federici earned the distinction for the second time in her career.
Six women's track and field athletes received All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA for the first time in 2025 -- freshman distance runner and All-American Allison Kuzma, senior sprinter Josee Behling, senior pole vaulter Katie Clifford, sophomore thrower Olivia Newsome, sophomore mid-distance runner Megan Roberts, and freshman jumper Baelyn Zitzmann.
