NEW ORLEANS – App State graduate student
Patrick Freeman, redshirt senior
Calbert Guest, junior
Ava Studney and sophomore
Kendall Johnson collected All-Academic Athlete honors, while the men's and women's track & field teams earned All-Academic Team honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday.
The women's team has collected the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award for a 14th consecutive year, posting a cumulative GPA of 3.39. The men's team recorded a GPA of 3.24, marking their first honor since the 2022 season. At the Sun Belt Indoor Championships (Feb. 14-15), the women's team finished third with 82 points, 24 of which were scored by
Jasmine Donohue, who was named the Women's Top Meet Scorer. Nine Mountaineers collected All-SBC accolades and freshman
Lilly Nichols was named the SBC Women's Indoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year. At the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships (May 8-10), the men's team finished fifth with 97 points, while the women finished eighth with 50 points. Ten Mountaineers collected All-SBC honors and senior
Emma Russum was named the SBC Women's Newcomer of the Year.
Freeman, Guest, Johnson and Studney collected Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators in June. The quartet holds nine track and field program, facility and meet records between them. This also marks Guest and Studney's second career USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete honors.
While studying geography, Freeman finished the outdoor season ranked 19th in the men's pole vault on the NCAA East First Round qualifying list. He posted a personal best clearance of 5.35m (17' 6.5") at the App State Open (April 18-19) and matched
Matthew Gray for the meet record. He finished his collegiate career at App State ranked second on the App State all-time list in the men's pole vault.
During the 2025 campaign, Guest broke the program records in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase and men's 10,000 meters. The Fort Collins, Colo., native recorded a personal best and school record of 8:42.01 at the Penn Relays (April 24-26), ranking 17th in the NCAA East First Round qualifying list. Guest made his second career appearance at the NCAA East First Round (May 28-31), where he placed 23rd in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. At the Raleigh Relays (March 27-29), he set the school record in the 10,000 meters with a time of 29:12.85. Guest, who earned a master's in business analytics, also finished his App State career ranked third on the all-time list in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:30.25 and fifth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:18.64.
Johnson, a healthcare management major, made her mark in the record book this season, breaking the program record in the 60 meters with a time of 7.42 at the SBC Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25) and the meet record in the 200 meters with a time of 23.57 at the App State Open (April 18-19). Johnson rose to second on the all-time list in the 100 meters with a time of 11.31, which she set at the NCAA East First Round (May 28-31). She also finished the season ranked second on the all-time list in the 200 meters with a time of 23.50, which she set at the Sunday Night Qualifier (May 18).
While studying cell and molecular biology, Studney posted a personal best clearance of 4.11m (13' 5.75") in the women's pole vault at the Sunday Night Qualifier (May 18). Her clearance elevated her to second on the App State all-time list. She ranked 43rd in the NCAA East First Round qualifying list. Additionally, Studney tied for second on the program all-time list for the indoor women's pole vault with a clearance of 4.06m (13' 3.75") and set the Holmes Center facility record with a clearance of 4.03m (13' 2.5") at the John Weaver Invitational (Dec. 6-7).
Nominated teams must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale to be eligible for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team accolades.
To be eligible for individual USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete honors, nominated student-athletes must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale, must have finished the season ranked in the top-96 in any championship individual event or top-48 in any championship relay event for the indoor season or must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships (the preliminary and/or finals) or must have finished the season ranked in the top-48 in the East or top-48 in the West for the outdoor season. Athletes also must have completed at least two semesters at their current institution.
