GREENWOOD, Ind. – College Sports Communicators (CSC) have released the honorees for Academic All-District for cross country and track & field for the 2024-25 academic year. The Malone University men's and women's cross country and track & field programs had five student-athletes honored by the CSC for their efforts on the race course and in the classroom.
 
In order to be eligible, a student must have a 3.50 cumulative grade point average or higher and at least a sophomore academically. On top of academic achievements, the CSC also has athletic nomination criteria for participation and success in a given sport. The women's team saw Rylee Yocum, Jenna Cassidy and Kylee Gray named CSC Academic All-District. On the men's side, Xander Heil and Hayden Schmidt received CSC Academic All-District. 

Yocum led the Pioneers with a Second Team All-Conference performance in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) in cross country while also helping the team to secure the NCCAA Women's Cross Country National Championship alongside Cassidy and Gray. Yocum was a four-time NCCAA All-American in 2024-25. Cassidy won two NCCAA All-American awards during the indoor portion of the NCCAA National championships. Gray was named the NCCAA John and Jody Wheeler Award for academics, athletics and Christian character and was an NCCAA All-American on the cross country course for Malone.
 
Heil was a three-time NCCAA National Champion in the indoor mile run, outdoor 1500-meter run and was a part of the first-place 4x800-meter relay team at the NCCAA National Championships. Schmidt was an NCCAA All-American in cross country as well as an NCCAA National Champion in the indoor 3000-meter run and All-American in the indoor mile run and outdoor 5000 meter run. Both of these men contributed to the men's team winning the NCCAA Outdoor National championship as a team, their first since 2010 and sixth in program history.