MOSCOW, Idaho – The Vandal track and field squads excelled not only on the track but also in the classroom this past year. Both the women's and men's squads were named USTFCCCA All-Academic teams.
The men's program earned a GPA of 3.47, ranking in the top-25 in all of NCAA Division I. The women ended the season with a 3.61 GPA, ranking in the top 40 of programs honored.
Eight Vandals earned the honor as individuals. To qualify, the athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale through at least two semesters at the nominating institution. The athletes also must have finished the indoor season ranked in the top 96 in any championships individual event, the top 48 in any relay event during the past indoor season, or competed in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The men were represented on the list by Spencer Barrera, Deyondre Davis, Jurrian Hering, Lorenz Herrmann, Zachary Nunis, and Joseph Ruddell. Barrera finished the indoor season ranked 94th in the country in the 400m with a season-best time of 47.04 at the 2023 Big Sky Indoor Championships. Davis finished the outdoor season at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds placing 25th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 51.74. Hering was alongside Davis, where he finished the season at the prelim rounds in the 110m hurdles where he placed 37th with a time of 14.19. Herrmann qualified through both the indoor and outdoor seasons, finishing the indoor season with the 25th-fastest time in the NCAA DI in the 800m (1:47.39). He finished the outdoor season at the NCAA West Prelims, placing 15th with a time of 1:48.18 in the second round of the 800m. Nunis earned the honor, placing in the top 96 in two indoor events. In the last jump of his career, Nunis soared 7.60m in the long jump, placing first at the Big Sky Indoor Championships with a season-best distance of 7.60m ranking 49th in the country. He was also ranked 88th in the country in the triple jump with a distance of 15.14m at the 2023 Cougar Classic Invitational. Ruddell finished the indoor season ranked 53rd in the country in the high jump with a mark of 2.12m at the 2023 Big Sky Indoor Championships.
On the women's side, Kelsey Swenson and Katja Pattis were honored. The duo were the only females to represent Idaho at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds this past May. Swenson competed in two events at the preliminary rounds while Pattis competed in the steeplechase. Swenson beat her rank in both events, placing 39th in the 10K with a time of 34:19.67 and 33rd in the 5K with a time of 16:19.45. Pattis was only five spots away from qualifying for the championships, placing 17th in the steeplechase with a time of 10:08.87.
The full release and list of teams and athletes can be found here.
