NEW ORLEANS – The Concord University men's cross country team has put five athletes on the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team, the organization released.
Sophomore
Brandon Canaday, sophomore
Reese Hickey, junior
AJ Skeens, freshman
Johnny Walkup and junior
Braden Ward were among those recognized.
In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, student athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top-30 percent of their respective regional championship meet, among other qualifiers.
Canaday, a native of Beckley, West Virginia, sports a 3.35 GPA in the classroom as a business administration major. This past fall, he finished 64
th at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championship as he turned in a time of 33:05 for the 10,000-meter course at Lock haven.
Hickey was inside the top 50 with a placement of 46th at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championships. He ran 32:23 which was the best race of Hickey's early career. As a nursing major, the Shepherdstown, West Virginia native has a 3.31 GPA.
Skeens finished 75
th at the regional meet in November as he came through in 33:20. The Sylvester, West Virginia native has a 3.41 GPA in the classroom as a physical education major.
Walkup, a native of Summersville, West Virginia, wrapped up his freshman season by running 33:38 at the Atlantic Regional Meet to finish 80
th. Walkup has a 3.86 GPA as a biology major at Concord.
And Ward capped his season by being an All-Atlantic Region selection after placing 20
th. He completed the course at Lock Haven in 31:34. The Princeton, West Virginia native became the 12
th all-region athlete in program history. In the classroom, he has 3.37 GPA as a business administration major.
Led by the five individual academic honorees, Concord's men's cross country was award USTFCCCA All-Academic status for the 2025 season with a team GPA of 3.37.
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