A trio of Monmouth College graduates have earned the highest academic honor awarded by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Joanna Podosek (Chicago, Ill./Lane) earned All-Academic status for the second straight season while Lilly Mendez (Berwyn, Ill./J.S. Morton West) and Madi Schulenberg (Orion, Ill./Orion) claimed their first academic honors from the coaches' organization.
     
Student-athletes named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic track and field team must meet some of the most stringent academic and athletic requirements in the nation. All-Academic team members must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.30 and have met at least one of the following criteria: competed in the NCAA indoor or outdoor championships; finished the regular season ranked in the top 50 nationally as an individual or the top 35 as a member of a relay team.
     
Podosek – a two-time award winner in cross country – was named to the All-Academic team for both the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. She was ranked 16th indoors in the 800-meter run to qualify for the NCAA Championships and was ranked 26th in the outdoor event. Her combined four All-Academic awards from the USTFCCCA are the most by a Scot in the history of the cross country and track and field programs. Podosek, who graduated in May with a degree in biopsychology major, is the daughter of Kris and Beata Podosek.
     
Mendez earned her academic award status during the outdoor season, finishing ranked 33rd in the shot put. She graduated in May with a degree in Spanish and is the daughter of Jaime Mendez and Rosa Aranda.
     
Schulenberg threw her way onto the academic honors list with a career-best performance in the javelin. She qualified for the NCAA National Championships with the No. 14 throw in the nation. Schulenberg, who graduated in May with a biochemistry degree, is the daughter of Tom and Cindy Schulenberg.
     
The honors for Podosek, Mendez and Schulenberg marks the ninth time since 2006 that multiple Scots were awarded USTFCCCA All-Academic status in the same season. The three awards are the most since Garrett Daniel, Logan Hohl and Morgan Leffel were so honored in 2011.