NEW ORLEANS – The Carleton College men's and women's cross country programs both received recognition as did 12 individuals as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its All-Academic Athletes and Teams for the 2023 cross country season.
 
The Carleton women's program was also named the Women's Scholar Team of the Year for the 2023 NCAA Division III Cross Country season. The Knights, who maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.52, won the team title at the 2023 NCAA D-III Cross Country Championships, pairing the first national title in program history with the squad's first Women's Scholar Team of the Year honor.
 
As for team distinction, squads must have a cumulative GPA of 3.1 on a 4.0 scale. This is the 19^th straight year that the Carleton women have collected All-Academic Team status and the 18^th consecutive time for the men's program. Only two other MIAC schools have streaks of 10 or more years for both its men's and women's teams.
 
In order to qualify for individual All-Academic distinction, student athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale and place in either the top-25 percent of their respective regional championship meet or the top 50 percent of finishers at the NCAA D-III Championships.
 
Individually, seven members of the women's cross country team received the distinction of All-Academic. Mary Blanchard (physics and computer science double major), Helen Cross (biology), Nora Daley (undeclared), Sophie McManus (biology), Hannah Preisser (undeclared), Libby Rowland (economics and environmental studies double major), and Phoebe Ward (English) were all recognized for their hard work and success in both academics and athletics.
 
Of those seven, Preisser, Ward, Cross, and McManus finished in the top 62 at the NCAA Championships, while Blanchard placed 115^th to hit the qualification standard. Notably, Preisser and Ward finished 14th and 16th, respectively, to secure All-America status while leading their team to a national title. Additionally, the Knights won the NCAA North Region Championships where Preisser, Ward, McManus, and Blanchard all finished in the top 25. Rowland and Dayley also broke into the top-50, earning their spot on the All-Academic list.
 
The men's cross country program also put up an impressive list of All-Academic Athletes. Henry Bowman (physics and mathematics double major), Roy Llewellyn (undeclared), Indy Lyness (undeclared), Chris Melville (computer science), and Gabe Nichols (undeclared) earned All-Academic distinction and led the Knights to an All-Academic Team honor. The squad's combined 3.67 team GPA is tied for 20th among D-III honorees and was eighth-highest among programs that competed at the NCAA Championships.
 
At the NCAA North Region Championship, Carleton took fifth place as all five athletes finished in the top 45 with Nichols in 18th followed by Llewellyn and Melville in 32nd and 35th, and Lyness and Bowman in 42nd and 45th. The Knights placed 28th at the NCAA Championships.
 
This was Bowman's fourth career All-Academic Athlete award for cross country (also 2019, 2021, and 2022), while Llewellyn took home the honors for the second consecutive year.
 
Blanchard, Cross, Rowland, and Ward each collected their third cross country academic award, while McManus and Preisser were repeat selections.