NEW ORLEANS, La. – Five members of the Carleton College women's track & field program — Mary Blanchard '24, Helen Cross '24, Sophie McManus '25, Hannah Preisser '26, and Phoebe Ward '24 — received individual All-Academic honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Their efforts combined with impressive classroom performances by their teammates helped the Knights post a 3.59 cumulative team grade-point average as the program earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team status for the 16th consecutive year.
 
To be nominated for the overall team award, a squad must carry a minimum 3.10 cumulative grade-point average. The Carleton women easily surpassed that mark once again, owning a team cumulative GPA of better than 3.50 for the 13th time over the last 16 years, including seven national top-20 team GPAs
 
In NCAA Division III this year, there were 216 women's teams and 174 men's programs recognized by the USTFCCCA for academic excellence. Among that group, Carleton is 1 of only 31 schools to have both its men's and women's squads record team GPAs of at least 3.50. Additionally, the Knights are 1 of only 2 MIAC programs to have both its men's and women's track & field teams own an active academic award streak of more than 14 years.
 
For individuals to qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Award, the student-athlete must compile a cumulative 3.30 GPA and either:
• compete at the NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championships OR
• finish the indoor or outdoor regular season ranked among the national top-50 in an individual event or top-35 in a relay event on the NCAA performance list.
 
Blanchard competed at both NCAA Track & Field Championships. She finished 17th in the 800-meter run at the indoor national meet and took 19th in the 1,500-meter race at outdoor meet. Cross collected a pair of All-America second-team awards in 2024. She was 11th in the 3,000-meter race at the NCAA indoor meet and placed 15th in the 1,500-meter run at the outdoor championships. McManus also raced at both NCAA meets, finishing 20th in the indoor 5,000-meter run and 17th in the steeplechase. Preisser qualified for the 10,000-meter run at the outdoor championships, taking 17th place overall. Ward earned All-America Second-Team recognition after placing 14th in the 5,000-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
 
Additionally, all five women were part of the Knights' NCAA title winning team at the 2023 Cross Division III Country Championships.
 
This is the second consecutive year that Blanchard, Cross, McManus, and Preisser earned individual the All-Academic Award for track & field.