CSC Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Five Saint John's cross country/track and field student-athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators (formerly College Sports Information Directors of America, CoSIDA) Academic All-District team on Wednesday, May 31.

Under a new format for the 2022-23 academic year, each institution may nominate up to five student-athletes for Academic All-District recognition in cross country/track and field. Nominees must be a sophomore or older with a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher and participate in 50 percent of their team's competitions.

Each Academic All-District awardee is now eligible for Academic All-America distinction, which will be voted on by organization members and announced on Thursday, June 29.

The five Johnnies honored were senior Riley Berg (Bemidji, Minn.), senior Jaeden Frost (Omro, Wis.), junior Carter Grove (Osakis, Minn.), senior Brett Hague (Brainerd, Minn.) and junior Lloyd Young (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy).

Berg graduated earlier this month with a 3.84 GPA in biology. He was a member of SJU's back-to-back, MIAC-champion 4x800-meter relay team and was All-MIAC (top three) three times in track and field (one indoors and two outdoors). Berg is expected to earn his fifth Academic All-MIAC honor (min. 3.5 GPA, three in cross country and two in track and field) in June.

A nutrition major with a 3.55 GPA, Frost became the first Johnnie since 1988 (Dean Daninger '88) to earn All-MIAC distinction in the discus (third), hammer (second) and shot put (third) at the same MIAC Outdoor Championships. He also finished second in the weight throw at the MIAC Indoor Championships in February and did not compete outdoors until April 26 due to a back injury. Frost will collect his second Academic All-MIAC honor (one in football and first in track and field) next month. 

Grove, a computer science major, was the NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient, for having the highest cumulative GPA among the competitors at last week's Division III outdoor track and field championships, thanks to his perfect 4.0 GPA. He also earned the MIAC Elite 22 Award, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA among the All-MIAC honorees (top three in each event), in both indoor and outdoor track and field this spring. Grove recorded the 11th-fastest time in Division III this spring in the steeplechase and finished 18th out of 22 runners at the national meet. He was All-MIAC four times this academic year – cross country, indoors and twice outdoors – and will receive his fourth Academic All-MIAC distinction in June.

An accounting major with a 3.74 GPA, Hague collected his second-consecutive All-America honor in the javelin May 25 (fourth place in 2022 and seventh this spring). He was a two-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region honoree, two-time MIAC champion and 3-time All-MIAC in the event. Hague broke SJU's record in the javelin with a mark of 68.10 meters this spring and will earn his third Academic All-MIAC distinction in a few weeks.

A 2022 All-American (40th place) in cross country, Young is an accounting major with a 3.93 GPA. He is a two-time national entrant and All-Region honoree in cross country, and an eight-time All-MIAC performer (twice in cross country and three each indoors and outdoors). Next month's Academic All-MIAC honor will be his sixth (three in cross country and third in track). 

The Johnnie cross country team finished second out of 11 teams at the MIAC Championship and seventh out of 28 teams at the NCAA Regional last fall. The track and field team, meanwhile, placed second – two points from first – at the MIAC Indoor Championships in February and won its second-straight outdoor title (14th overall) May 12-13.