NEW ORLEANS – The Carleton College men's and women's cross country programs both received recognition along with six individuals as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its All-Academic Athletes and Teams for the 2024 cross country season.
The Carleton men's program earned its 19th consecutive All-Academic Team Award after posting a cumulative GPA 3.76, which is the Knights' highest over the last two decades. They ranked seventh among men's teams in NCAA Division III. Meanwhile, the women's program maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.53 and finished 18th at the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships.
As for team distinction, squads must have a cumulative GPA of 3.1 on a 4.0 scale. This is the 20th straight year that the Carleton women have collected All-Academic Team status and the 19th 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, two members of the men's cross country team received the distinction of All-Academic:
Roy Llewellyn (linguistics and Spanish double major) and
Gabe Nichols (political science and international relations major). Both Knights finished inside the top 25 at the North Region Championships and earned All-Region accolades. They were individual qualifiers for the NCAA Championships, where Nichols finished 125th while Llewellyn crossed the line in 157th place.
This was Llewelleyn's third career All-Academic Athlete award for cross country (also 2022 and 2023), while Nichols took home the honors for the second consecutive year.
The women's cross country program saw four runners tabbed as All-Academic Athletes in recognition of their hard work and success in both academics and athletics:
Nora Daley (undeclared),
Sophie McManus (biology major),
Hannah Preisser (mathematics major), and
Libby Rowland (economics an environmental studies double major).
Preisser was the North Region champion and is now a three-time All-American in cross country after finishing seventh at the NCAA Championships.
McManus and Rowland both competed at Nationals for the fourth consecutive year, placing 97th and 204th, respectively. Daley finished 195thin her NCAA Championships debut. A week earlier, that trio finished sixth, 52nd, and 23rd, respectively, at the NCAA North Region Championships.
This is the fourth career cross country academic award for Rowland, while McManus and Preisser are now three-time selections. Daley was recognized for the second straight year.
