EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Men's and Women's Cross Country/Track & Field has landed six student athletes on the Academic All-District teams, which are selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) (formerly CoSIDA).
 
Seniors Noah Hufnagel (Santa Claus, Indiana) and Kara Martin (Herrin, Illinois) were joined by juniors Mitchell Hopf (Santa Claus, Indiana), McKenna Cavanaugh (New Albany, Indiana), Audrey Comastri (Indianapolis, Indiana) and Aubrey Swart (Noblesville, Indiana).
 
All six will be on the ballot for Academic All-America® honors, which will be voted on next month by members of CSC.
 
To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Award, the student-athlete must be a key contributor with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). They must have reached a sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution.
 
Hufnagel and Hopf have paced both the USI Men's Cross Country and Track & Field teams throughout the 2022-23 academic year.
 
A kinesiology major, Hufnagel was named the Ohio Valley Conference Athlete of the Championship after winning the OVC Cross Country title in the fall. He returned to the track to capture an OVC title in the indoor 3,000 meters while earning an OVC podium finish with a second-place showing in the 5,000 meters.
 
Hufnagel capped off the year by being named both the OVC Track Athlete of the Year as well as the OVC Athlete of the Championship after capturing both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter titles at the OVC Outdoor Championships.
 
Hopf, a sport management major, earned first-team All-OVC honors on the grass following a fourth-place finish at the OVC Cross Country Championships. He scored in both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters at the OVC Indoor Championships before earning points in the 5,000 meters at the OVC Outdoor Championships.
 
On the women's side, Martin finished her final year of competition with a bang. The two-time podium finisher at the OVC Indoor Championships closed the outdoor season by earning OVC titles in both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000 meters. Martin is working toward her master's degree in occupational therapy.
 
A special education and elementary education major, Cavanaugh was strong for the Eagles throughout the 2022-23 academic calendar. She was a first-team All-OVC honoree after finishing fourth at the OVC Cross Country Championships in the fall.
 
Cavanaugh, who collected OVC Runner of the Week honors in the fall, went on to earn three OVC Track Athlete of the Week awards during the indoor and outdoor campaign. She was a two-time podium finisher during the indoor season before finishing second in the steeplechase at the OVC Outdoor Championships.
 
Comastri, an exercise science major, earned second-team All-OVC honors in cross country and was a combined three-time podium finisher at the OVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. She twice broke the school-record in the 800 meters during the outdoor season as she established herself as one of the top middle-distance runners in the OVC.
 
Swart, who is working on her master's degree in English, collected second-team All-OVC accolades on the cross country course before scoring a fifth-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the OVC Indoor Championships. She wrapped up the year by scoring in both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the OVC Outdoor Championships.
 
USI's men were third at the OVC Cross Country Championships before finishing sixth and eighth, respectively, at the OVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The Screaming Eagles' women were second at the OVC Cross Country Championships before posting respective finishes of sixth and eighth at the OVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships.