EVANSVILLE, Ind.- The University of Southern Indiana Track and Field/Cross Country seniors Noah Hufnagel (Santa Claus, Indiana) and Mitchell Hopf (Santa Claus, Indiana) were named College Sports Communicators NCAA Division I Academic All-District members on Tuesday afternoon. The honor marks the second straight season both athletes have made the prestigious list.  
 
Both athletes met the criteria for the CSC All-District Award being a sophomore academically or higher, excelling beyond the 3.5 cumulative grade point average, along with recording a Top 50 performance as an individual in their respective NCAA Regional race.
 
Hufnagel, a Kinesiology major, has served as a pivotal piece for the USI program for four years. The senior captured two Ohio Valley Conference titles at the Indoor Championship in February placing first in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter events. The victories mark an astonishing six career OVC titles between Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Hufnagel victorious times were 8:17.85 in the 3,000-meter and 14.80.29 in the 5,000-meter event.
 
Hopf, a sports management major, collects his second Academic All-District honor. The senior spent three years at USI after transferring from Indiana State University. Hopf was a massive contributor in the Cross-Country season leading the team in all five events, capped off by entering the record books as the seventh fastest 8,000-meter time in school history for his eighth-place finish at the OVC Championship. The senior also won the Stegemoller 6,000-meter Classic with an impressive time of 18:06.10.
 
Hopf played an important role in both Track and Field seasons as well entering the top-ten record books in the 5,000-meter event with a time of 14:19.38 at the BU David Henry Valentine Indoor Invitational. The senior placed 11^th at the OVC Outdoor Championship in the 5,000-meter event.
 
USI's men placed second at the OVC Cross Country Championships before finishing eighth and ninth, respectively, at the OVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The second place Cross Country finish marks the best placing in their two-year program history in the OVC. USI looks forward to what's ahead in 2024-25.