Individual Release | Team Release

NEW ORLEANS – The 2025 Saint John's University track and field team and nine of its student-athletes earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic recognition on Monday, July 21.

The USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honor is the 17th-straight for SJU, as a total of 89 Johnnies combined for a cumulative team GPA of 3.43. To qualify as an USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, all members of the roster must combine for a cumulative GPA of 3.1 or better.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and have met either of the following athletic standards: he must have qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor or Outdoor Championships or finished the indoor or outdoor regular season ranked in the national top 50 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 35 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org.

The Johnnies recognized were (alphabetically, academic years are for 2024-25):

-Junior Mitchell Degen (Brainerd, Minn.), an economics major in the javelin;
-Sophomore Matt Hansen (Longmont, Colo./Niwot), an environmental studies major as a member of SJU's 4x100-meter relay;
-Senior Max Lelwica (Brainerd, Minn.), a biochemistry major (pre-medicine emphasis) in the decathlon and heptathlon;
-Senior Jackson McDowell (Centennial, Colo./Arapahoe), a global business leadership major in the high jump;
-Junior Aidan Morey (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep), an accounting major as a member of SJU's 4x100-meter relay;
-Senior Emanuel Popoca (Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy), an accounting major as a member of SJU's 4x100-meter relay;
-Freshman Max Reis (West Fargo, N.D./Spectrum), a global business leadership major in the 60-meter, 100-meter, long jump and as a member of SJU's 4x100-meter relay;
-Sophomore Cooper Smith (Alvarado, Minn./East Grand Forks), an accounting major in the 400-meter hurdles;
-Senior Anthony Thurk (St. Bonifacius, Minn./Waconia), an accounting major in the decathlon and heptathlon.

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.