FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State University women’s track & field team had five student-athletes named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, the organization announced Tuesday, June 18.
The Bison women selected to the CSC Academic All-District Team were Nell Graham, Lexi Maples, Merrideth Spiers, Grace Emineth, and Makenna Vollmer.
Graham (Dodge Center, Minn.) posted a 3.86 cumulative GPA to earn a degree in business administration. She was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the Summit League Outdoor Championships for the third consecutive conference meet, winning the heptathlon title and scoring 26 points in the team race.
Maples (Whanganui, New Zealand) earned second-team All-America honors in the hammer throw at the NCAA Championships, as well as winning the Summit League title in the event. She earned a master’s degree with a 4.0 GPA in leadership in sport & physical education from NDSU.
Spiers (Grant City, Mo.) recorded a 4.0 GPA as a psychology major and now owns a 4.0 pursuing a graduate degree in criminal justice. She placed third in the discus, fourth in the hammer throw, and fifth in the shot put at the Summit League Championships.
Emineth (Fargo, N.D.) is a pharmacy major with a 3.92 cumulative GPA. She was the Summit League indoor champion in the triple jump and also the owner of the top indoor long jump mark by a league athlete this season. Emineth ranked 54th in the NCAA for the long jump and 61st for the triple jump.
Vollmer (Harvey, N.D.) was the Summit League outdoor runner-up and an NCAA West Prelims qualifier in the long jump, owning the league’s top outdoor mark in the event this season at 20 feet, 5 inches. She owns a 4.0 GPA with a major in exercise science.
The Academic All-District team recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. In addition to their athletic accomplishments, nominees must carry a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average and have at least sophomore athletic and academic standing.