2026 CSC Track and Field Academic All-American Teams

Hillsdale College graduate Ben Haas continues to reap the accolades earned from a stellar track and field career at Hillsdale College.

On Tuesday, Haas received another repeat honor that recognizes both his athletic and academic achievements at an elite level. For the second straight season, Haas was named a first team Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators. 

Haas was one of just 15 of the top NCAA DII men's track and field athletes across the country to earn first team Academic All-American honors from CSC, and one of just four among the 2026 honorees to receive the distinction a second year in a row.  The senior is the 31st Hillsdale College athlete to earn Academic All-American honors through CSC over the history of the award, and is the sixth Hillsdale College track and field athlete to receive the honor, joining John Dorsch (1997), Sara Petta (1997), Emily Oren (2016), Maryssa Depies (2021) and Liz Wamsley (2024).

He also joins a special group of honorees for the Chargers, joining Oren, baseball player Lewis Beals, and football player Shea Ruddy as the only Hillsdale College athletes to receive multiple Academic All-American honors from CSC. Among those four, only Haas and Oren received multiple first team honors.

CSC has been running the Academic All-America program since 1952, recognizing the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom in an award where athletes are nominated by their school's Sports Information Directors and are voted on by SIDs from around the country. In order to be eligible for the honor, athletes must carry a minimum GPA of 3.5 and have achieved significant athletic accomplishments over the course of the previous season.

One of the most decorated athletes in both Hillsdale College and G-MAC history, Haas capped his career in style in 2025-26, repeating as NCAA DII indoor national champion in the weight throw with a new G-MAC and Hillsdale record mark of 22.97 meters. That distance make him the fourth-best competitor in the weight throw in NCAA DII history.

During the outdoor season, Haas added two more All-American honors, taking third in the nation in the hammer throw and seventh in the shot put at the 2026 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships, giving him three national titles and eight All-American honors across four years at Hillsdale.

For his achievements during the indoor campaign, Haas became the first athlete in Hillsdale history and the first G-MAC athlete since 2019 to be named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA DII National Field Athlete of the Year. He also was the 2026 G-MAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year and was named both the Indoor and Outdoor G-MAC Field Athlete of the Meet.

Haas dominated G-MAC competition like few others, claiming 2026 titles in the weight throw, hammer throw and indoor and outdoor shot put for four conference championships as a senior, and nine total in his career. He also won six G-MAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors in 2025-26, finishing with a career total of 15 weekly conference awards across all four seasons of competition.

Haas leaves Hillsdale with school records in the weight throw, hammer throw and indoor and outdoor shot put. Along with producing a career that ranks among Hillsdale College's greats, Haas also has excelled in the classroom for the Chargers, graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology this past spring while earning G-MAC and USTFCCCA recognition for his academic prowess on top of his multiple CSC Academic All-American and All-District honors. His achievements in the classroom make Haas' success in track and field even more impressive, as they did not come at the expense of his studies.