Five Bruins named Academic All-District for women's track and field and cross country

GREENWOOD, Indiana. Five Belmont University female track and field and cross country students named Academic All-District ^{by College Sports Communicators (CSC), formerly College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Long-distance runners Brooke Garter And Mercy Litzingerpitchers Logan Grey And Rebekah Stuckerand long-distance runner Kaitlyn Vanderkolk were honored by the organization for their dedication to study and their high-level performance on the court, track and field.}

The 2024 CSC Academic All-District ^{The women's track and field and cross country teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined achievements on the track, in the field, and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program awards cross country and track and field honors separately in four divisions: NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III and the NAIA.}

Select Academic All-District honorees will be considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. Gray, Stucker and Vanderkolk were selected as CSC Academic All-America finalists and advanced to the national ballot, which was voted on by CSC members. First, second and third team Academic All-America honorees will be announced on Tuesday, July 9.

To be considered for the CSC Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must place in the top 50 in their region in an individual event (not a relay event) in cross country, indoor or outdoor track and field. Eligible nominees are based on Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) rankings. A student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and be at least a sophomore both academically and athletically.

A native of King Mills, Ohio (Kings HS), Garter maintained an impeccable cumulative 4.0 grade point average while majoring in secondary education and mathematics. At the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships in February, Garter was named the winner of the MVC Elite 17 Award, winning bronze in the mile. She was also a member of the silver medal team for the distance medley relay, finishing 49th at the 2023 NCAA South Regional Cross Country Championship this past fall.

A native of Fayetteville, Arkansas (Fayetteville HS), Litzinger earned a cumulative GPA of 3.78 while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English and global leadership studies. Litzinger placed 36th at the NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships last fall with a personal best of 19:53.4 in the 6 km, and took silver in the 5000 m at the MVC Indoor Championships this past February.

Gray, who is nearing an NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships finals qualifier, carries a cumulative GPA of 3.77 and is majoring in social media management and minoring in music business. After winning silver in the shot put at the MVC Outdoor Championships in May, Gray finished 15th at the NCAA East First Round in Lexington, Kentucky. The Spartanburg, South Carolina (Spartanburg HS) native was ranked 22nd in the NCAA East Region and 44th nationally in the shot put after throwing a program record of 53 feet, 10.5 inches (16.42 m) at the Outdoor Music City Challenge.

The 2024 MVC Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Stucker maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.70 while majoring in exercise science and minoring in strength and conditioning. Named the MVC Outdoor Championships Most Valuable Female Athlete, Stucker won both the shot put and discus and took home bronze in the hammer throw, scoring 26 total points. The Odessa, Missouri (Odessa HS) native also won silver in the shot put and bronze in the weight throw at the 2024 MVC Indoor Championships. Stucker qualified for the NCAA East First Round in both the hammer and discus. Her winning throw of 167 feet, 11 inches (51.18 m) in the discus at the MVC Outdoor Championships set a new program record and ranked 43rd in the NCAA East Region. Her personal best hammer throw distance of 194 feet, two inches (59.19 m) ranked 35th in the NCAA East Region and 76th nationally.

Vanderkolk earned the Valley’s highest academic and athletic achievement, the Elite 17 Award, twice in 2023-24 and has a cumulative GPA of 3.97 as a law major with a minor in Spanish and sports administration. A native of Brentwood, Tennessee (Brentwood HS), Vanderkolk received the MVC Elite 17 Award at both the MVC Cross Country Championship last fall and the MVC Outdoor Championships in May. Her historic year began in the fall when she placed 17th at the NCAA South Regional Cross Country Championship with a program-record time of 19:05.03 in the 6K, making her the Bruins’ fourth national qualifier. After setting the fastest time by a Belmont runner in the NCAA Cross Country Championship race, Vanderkolk won the 5000m and 10000m races at the MVC Outdoor Championships this spring. By qualifying for the NCAA East First Round in the 10,000m, Vanderkolk set the school record in both the 5,000m and 10,000m during the regular season. Vanderkolk's 10,000m best of 33:30.69 at the Raleigh Relays ranked 43rd in the NCAA East Region and 64th nationally, while her school best of 16:02.40 at the Bryan Clay Invitational ranked 50th in the NCAA East Region.

All five Bruins earned spots on the MVC Track and Field Scholar-Athlete Team, and Garter, Litzinger and Vanderkolk were also members of the 2023 MVC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Team.

Garter, Litzinger and Stucker received their bachelor's degrees in May.

For more information about the CSC Academic All-District^{and Academic All-AmericaTeams program, visitAcademicAllAmerica.com.}

How to follow

Follow Belmont women's track and field and cross country on social media – @BelmontXCTF on X, formerly Twitter, @belmontxctf, @belmontthrows And @belmontwxc on Instagram, and @BUXCTF on Facebook – for full Bruins coverage. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's sports programming via the official app of the Belmont Bruinsavailable on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.

#ItsBruinTime