CSC Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Five Saint John's cross country/track and field student-athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team on Tuesday, June 24.

The five Johnnies honored were junior Mitchell Degen (Brainerd, Minn.), senior Max Lelwica (Brainerd, Minn.), senior Jackson McDowell (Centennial, Colo./Arapahoe), junior Owen Montreuil (Jordan, Minn.) and senior Anthony Thurk (St. Bonifacius, Minn./Waconia). 

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. Athletically, track and field nominees are based on their TFRRS performance list rankings and cross country submissions must finish in the top 50 of their respective NCAA Regional.

Each Academic All-District awardee is now eligible for Academic All-America distinction, which will be voted on by organization members and announced on Wednesday, July 16.

All five honorees earned All-MIAC honors (top three) during the 2024-25 academic year and totaled a combined five All-America honors.

The CSC Academic All-District honor is the first for Degen, a global business leadership major with a 3.79 GPA. He was the 2025 MIAC champion in the javelin with a throw of 58.46 meters. He set a new career-best of 60.15 meters – good for second in the region and 29th in the nation – at SJU's outdoor opener on March 28. Degen is expected to earn his second-consecutive Academic All-MIAC (min. 3.5 GPA) honor later this week.

The Academic All-District honor is the second-consecutive for Lelwica, who graduated with a 3.68 GPA in biochemistry (pre-medicine emphasis). He qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in the decathlon where he took third – the Johnnies' best finish in the event at nationals – out of 22 student-athletes with 6,848 points. Lelwica ended the regular season No. 3 in Division III in the decathlon, thanks to his MIAC championship total of 6,905 points at the conference meet. Lelwica also earned All-America second-team honors with a ninth-place finish nationally in the heptathlon at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships. He is a three-time national qualifier, two-time All-American (one first team, one second), two-time All-Region performer and five-time All-MIAC honoree in the multi events (three decathlon, two heptathlon).

A global business leadership major with a 3.66 GPA, McDowell tied for third at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the high jump with an SJU record of 2.11 meters on his third and final attempt – SJU's best finish in the event. McDowell broke the program's indoor record with a mark of 2.14 meters to finish as the national runner-up in March and earned his first All-America honor with an eighth-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. He earned All-America honors in all three of his national appearances, is a three-time MIAC champion in the high jump and five-time All-MIAC performer (four high jump, one javelin). The CSC honor is his second consecutive, and he will finish as a two-time Academic All-MIAC honoree.

Montreuil is a finance major with a 3.98 GPA. He earned All-Region honors as a member of the Johnnies' indoor distance medley relay team and finished in the top 40 in the region in both the indoor and outdoor 800 meters. The junior collected All-MIAC honors in the 600 meters (indoor) and 4x800-meter relay (outdoor) this season and owns five All-MIAC honorable mention honors. The CSC award is the first for Montreuil, who is expected to earn his second Academic All-MIAC accolade later this week.

Thurk graduated in May with a 3.51 GPA in accounting. The 2025 MIAC indoor champion in the heptathlon, Thurk earned his third All-MIAC honor with a third-place finish of 6,378 points in the decathlon at the MIAC outdoor championships. He earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) second-team All-America honors after taking 14th in the heptathlon with 4,806 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He recorded Division III's 15th-best heptathlon score of the regular season with 4,923 points to win the event at the MIAC Indoor Championships.

SJU track and field finished second – by half a point, 207-206.5 – out of 11 teams at the 2025 MIAC Outdoor Championships and third at the MIAC indoor meet. SJU qualified six athletes in six events at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships and finished fourth out of 73 teams. The Johnnies collected a program-record six top-eight finishes across the three-day meet and seven total All-America performances.