Indiana State’s cross country teams picked up multiple academic honors, as the Sycamore men’s and women’s teams were both named USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams by the organization.
In addition to the team accomplishments, sophomore Emma Gresham was selected to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete Team.
The Sycamore men received the honor after posting a 3.362 cumulative team GPA through the fall 2024 semester, while Indiana State’s women’s team was recognized for its 3.81 cumulative team GPA through the fall 2023 semester. Both the men’s and women’s teams improved on their 2023-24 team GPA, with the Sycamore women tied with Harvard for the eighth-highest team GPA in the nation.
Gresham, the 2024 MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and MVC Elite 17 Award recipient, carries a 4.0 GPA as an environmental geoscience major. In addition to her academic achievements, Gresham broke Indiana State’s school record in the 4k, 5k and 6k this season while becoming the first Sycamore to win the MVC women’s individual championship since 2003. She was also an all-region honoree at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.
This season’s honors marked the 14th time in the last 15 years that Indiana State cross country picked up USTFCCCA All-Academic Team accolades on the women’s side, while the Sycamore men’s cross country team has earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors 12 times in the last 15 seasons announcement. Indiana State has been named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team for men’s and women’s cross country in each of head cross country coach Brad Butler’s four seasons at the helm.
In order to earn All-Academic Team honors, teams must have had a cumulative team GPA at the end of the most recent semester/quarter of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and competed in the NCAA Regional Championships. To earn All-Academic Athlete honors, student-athletes must have at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA and finish in the top 25 at the NCAA Regional Championships.
The academic awards add to a banner season for the Blue and White. Indiana State earned its highest finish at an MVC Women’s Cross Country Championship since 1997 with its runner-up placing, while Gresham and Erica Barker both earned all-conference honors. The Sycamores were fifth on the men’s side, marking the third straight season that the Blue and White finished in the top half of the conference standings.
