By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – A total of 134 women’s and men’s cross country runners were named to the 2026 Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-academic team presented by Barnes & Noble College.
 
There were 68 men and 66 women who earned inclusion on the list, which recognizes the league’s top performers in the classroom and on the course.
 
For the second year in-a-row, Central Washington junior Payton Conover posted a perfect 4.0 grade point average to lead the list of names, as she works towards her degree in elementary education. Other women’s runners to maintain 4.0 GPAs were sophomores Lexi Titchenal of Central Washington (law & justice), Samantha Schweppe of Saint Martin’s (exercise science) and Maren Anderson (biology) and Nettle Grey (biology) of Western Oregon. Veterans Alanna Parker of Western Washington (3.40 GPA, kinesiology) and Holly Hutton of Western Oregon (3.67 GPA, education) joined a rare list in earning the fourth all-academic selection of their careers. Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene tied for the most women’s all-academic selections with 10 apiece.
 
On the men’s side, senior Anders Norman from Western Washington headlined the list with a perfect 4.0 GPA in kinesiology while earning his third straight academic honor. Other 4.0 GPAs belonged to sophomores Noah Eichenbusch (pre-med) and Finnley Olson (wildlife biology) of Northwest Nazarene and Benjamin Hernandez (biology) and Shane Yara (interpreting studies) of Western Oregon. James Lackey of Western Oregon (3.96 GPA, exercise science) was the lone man to earn the award for the fourth time. Western Washington boasted a GNAC-high 20 academic all-conference picks on the men’s side.
 
To qualify for academic all-conference, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20, must be in at least their second season competing for their team and must have competed on the course during the 2026 campaign.
 

Name	Academic Major	Year	GPA	Hometown	School
Avery Williamson*#	MA Interdisciplinary Studies	5TH	3.86	Haines, AK	UAA
Makendra McCarty	BS Health Sciences	JR	3.37	Sedro-Wooley, WA	UAA
Rory Claussen	Fisheries & Marine Science	SO	3.90	Albuquerque, NM	UAF
Riga Grubis*	Biological Sciences	JR	3.65	Fairbanks, AK	UAF
Olivia Manley	Psychology	JR	3.88	Fairbanks, AK	UAF
Madison Schuh*	Wildlife Biology & Conservation	JR	3.79	Anchorage, AK	UAF
Devyn Townsend	Wildlife Biology & Conservation	SO	3.54	Redondo Beach, CA	UAF
Tabitha Williams*#	Digital Journalism	SR	3.58	Canmore, AB	UAF
Natalie Barta*	Biology	SR	3.93	West Yellowstone, MT	CWU
Payton Conover*	Elementary Education	JR	4.00	Lynnwood, WA	CWU
Heidi Gill*	Clinical Physiology	JR	3.73	Sherwood, OR	CWU
Maddy Harrison	Business Administration	SO	3.35	University Place, WA	CWU
Dawn Hulstedt	Biology	SO	3.65	Phoenix, AZ	CWU
Paige Huntsinger	Clinical Physiology	SO	3.74	Liberty Lake, WA	CWU
Julie Johnson*	Chemistry	JR	3.96	Puyallup, WA	CWU
Katie Manly	Clinical Physiology	SO	3.56	Ferndale, WA	CWU
Lillian Neff	Environmental Science	SR	3.51	Syracuse, UT	CWU
Hannah Pidduck*	Elementary Education	JR	3.65	Lacey, WA	CWU
Lexi Titchenal	Law & Justice	SO	4.00	Spokane Valley, WA	CWU
Ally Coey	Health and Human Performance	SO	3.97	Bozeman, MT	MSUB
Sarah Eichmann	Political Science	SO	3.96	Colorado Springs, CO	MSUB
Sara McCabe	Business Management	JR	3.46	Flagstaff, AZ	MSUB
Gracyn Rock	Art	SO	3.61	Billings, MT	MSUB
Chloe Shennum*#	Health and Human Performance	SR	3.21	Havre, MT	MSUB
Micah Strong	Nursing	SO	3.58	Big Piney, WY	MSUB
Ella Bartlett*	Nursing	JR	3.90	Sisters, OR	NNU
Alyssa Blum*	Nursing	JR	3.83	Pullman, WA	NNU
Rebecca Darwood*#	Christian Ministry	SR	3.90	Yakima, WA	NNU
Jenna Davis*	Pre-Athletic Training	SR	3.94	Apple Valley, CA	NNU
Jordan Gram*#	Digital Media	SR	3.93	Olympia, WA	NNU
Madison Ingram	Elementary Ed	SO	3.49	Yelm, WA	NNU
Hazel Kunkel	Studio Art	SO	3.47	Coeur D Alene, ID	NNU
McKenna Lechner*#	Elementary Ed	SR	3.77	Foresthill, CA	NNU
Zoey Stauffer	Graphic Design	SO	3.65	Boise, ID	NNU
Adelaide Sugden	Biochemistry	SO	3.94	Missoula, MT	NNU
Paige Trautman*	Nursing	SR	3.58	Salem, OR	NNU
Cameron Moore	MBA	SR	3.86	Boise, ID	NNU
Samantha Schweppe	Exercise Science	SO	4.00	Montesano, WA	SMU
Camila Romo	Civil Engineering	SO	3.98	Hacienda Heights, CA	SMU
Kadence Merritt	Biology	JR	3.87	Pukalani, HI	SMU
Elia Aguilar	Nursing	JR	3.73	Lakewood, WA	SMU
Charis Deitemeyer*	Civil Engineering	SR	3.51	Vancouver, WA	SMU
Kekaimalino Halpern	Business Administration	SO	3.42	Hilo, HI	SMU
Alexa Gossett*	Mechanical Engineering	JR	3.99	Claremont, CA	SPU
Nicole Pierce*	Nutrition	JR	3.41	Kirtland, NM	SPU
Anna Prussian*#	History	SR	3.61	Sitka, AK	SPU
Lucia Templeton*	Nursing	JR	3.95	Seattle, WA	SPU
Raiya Matonovich	Communication	SO	3.38	Kamloops, BC	SFU
Maren Anderson	Biology	SO	4.00	Littleton, CO	WOU
Adele Beckstead	Earth & Environmental Science	SO	3.63	Philomath, OR	WOU
Yulissa Chavez-Cortez	Exercise Science	SO	3.61	Mt. Angel, OR	WOU
Charlotte Gardner*	Biology	JR	3.95	Newport, OR	WOU
Nettle Grey	Biology	SO	4.00	Port Orford, OR	WOU
Holly Hutton*#!	Education	SR	3.67	Bandon, OR	WOU
Jazmine Liebl	Business	SR	3.39	Salem, OR	WOU
Amelia Merritt*#	Business	JR	3.91	Camas, WA	WOU
Kyla Potratz*#	Psychology	SR	3.75	Phoenix, OR	WOU
Kendall Carter*#	Kinesiology	SR	3.64	Spokane, WA	WWU
Riley Carter	Undeclared	SO	3.62	Ocala, FL	WWU
Sarah Dickson	Kinesiology	SO	3.48	Kent, WA	WWU
Olivia Friedrich	Kinesiology	SO	3.89	Mill Creek, WA	WWU
Danielle McLain*	Biology	JR	3.64	Bandon, OR	WWU
Alanna Parker*#!	Kinesiology	SR	3.40	Spokane, WA	WWU
Skye Stenehjem	Industrial Design	SO	3.90	Yakima, WA	WWU
Josephine Stevenson*#	Environmental Studies	SR	3.88	Puyallup, WA	WWU
Ceilia Villagomez-Edvalson	Psychology	SO	3.34	LaGrande, OR	WWU

Name	Academic Major	Year	GPA	Hometown	School
Stephen Zukowski*#	BBA Management and Marketing	5TH	3.62	Castle Rock, CO	UAA
Hunter Taddy	BBA Management	JR	3.95	Reedsville, WI	UAA
Samuel Roy*	BS Civil Engineering	JR	3.77	Portland, OR	UAA
Anthony Porter*	BS Mechanical Engineering	JR	3.58	Colorado Springs, CO	UAA
Julio Ramirez*	BS Kinesiology	SR	3.41	Anchorage, AK	UAA
Anthony Ruiz	BS Kinesiology	SR	3.22	Beaumont, CA	UAA
Edgar Vera Alvarado*	BS Kinesiology	JR	3.42	Juneau, AK	UAA
Ian Baker	Chemistry	SO	3.48	Corvalis, OR	UAF
Curtis Beck*	Mechanical Engineering	JR	3.23	Fairbanks, AK	UAF
Dexter Delaney	Chemistry	SO	3.78	Winthrop, WA	UAF
Blake Hanley*	Homeland Security & Emergency Management	JR	3.97	Anchorage, AK	UAF
Paxson Ott*	Biological Sciences	JR	3.96	Fairbanks, AK	UAF
Jace Peters	Mechanical Engineering	JR	3.91	Leadville, CO	UAF
Ned Peters	Mechanical Engineering	SO	3.63	Bethel, AK	UAF
Ruben Rhodes*	Chemistry	JR	3.95	Anchorage, AK	UAF
Weston Breen	Construction Management	SO	3.31	Lake Stevens, WA	CWU
Charlie Naught*	Biology	JR	3.97	Yakima, WA	CWU
Will Hyatt	Liberal Studies	5TH	3.40	Thompson Falls, MT	MSUB
Evan Bennett	Sports Psychology	SO	3.96	Hamilton, MT	NNU
Timothy Bradshaw	Business Admin	SR	3.77	Ridgefield, WA	NNU
Micah Chi*#	Christian Ministry	SR	3.72	Snohomish, WA	NNU
Noah Eichenbusch	Pre-Med	SO	4.00	Roseburg, OR	NNU
Finnley Olson	Wildlife Biology	SO	4.00	Nampa, ID	NNU
Grant Petty	Financial Planning	SO	3.70	Las Vegas, NV	NNU
Ian Stockett*#	Communication/Philosophy	SR	3.89	Nampa, ID	NNU
Luke Stockett	Business Admin	JR	3.78	Nampa, ID	NNU
Emmett Stouffer	Mathematics	JR	3.31	Bellevue, ID	NNU
Garrich Lindley	Business Administration	SO	3.69	Lakewood, WA	SMU
Jordan Pacheco-Mendez*	Criminology & Criminal Justice	JR	3.59	Gold Bar, WA	SMU
Jake Beck	Education	JR	3.57	Kelso, WA	SMU
Matthias White	Mechanical Engineering	SO	3.34	Longview, WA	SMU
Aric Jacklin*#	Exercise Science	SR	3.28	Aberdeen, WA	SMU
Noe Ortega	Mechanical Engineering	SR	3.20	Renton, WA	SMU
Silas Demmert #	Ecology	SR	3.23	Sitka, AK	SPU
Avery Erickson	Exercise Science	JR	3.79	Seattle, WA	SPU
Nathan Korth*	Undeclared	JR	3.77	Bonney Lake, WA	SPU
Sam Wieland	Exercise Science	SO	3.71	Normandy Park, WA	SPU
Grant Bohannon*	Exercise Science	SR	3.50	Grants Pass, OR	WOU
Ethan Bothwell*#	Business	SR	3.88	Hillsboro, OR	WOU
Zander Campbell	Criminal Justice	SO	3.54	Albany, OR	WOU
Samuel Fuentes	Exercise Science	SO	3.24	Clovis, NM	WOU
Benjamin Hernandez	Biology	SO	4.00	Philomath, OR	WOU
James Lackey*#!	Exercise Science	SR	3.96	Newport, OR	WOU
Logan Parker	Public Health	SR	3.30	Albany, OR	WOU
Isaiah Rodriguez #	Exercise Science	SR	3.24	Knappa, OR	WOU
Remedan Seman*#	Communication Studies	SR	3.42	Hillsboro, OR	WOU
Devyn Thomas	Exercise Science	SO	3.24	Vancouver, WA	WOU
Shane Yara	Interpreting Studies: Theory	SO	4.00	Alburquerque, NM	WOU
Jonah Billings*	Journalism/History	JR	3.56	Ventura, CA	WWU
Sten Brakstad*	English	JR	3.90	Portland, OR	WWU
Mason Hammons*	Kinesiology	JR	3.47	Mukilteo, WA	WWU
Logan King	Economics	SO	3.97	Hood River, OR	WWU
Chance Leandro	Economics	SO	3.67	Ventura, CA	WWU
Leaf McQuillen	Kinesiology	SO	3.27	Portland, OR	WWU
Lev Michaels*	History	JR	3.83	Portland, OR	WWU
Anders Norman*#	Kinesiology MS	SR	4.00	Yakima, WA	WWU
Cale O'Day*	Econ/German/Spanish	JR	3.81	Colorado Springs, CO	WWU
Barrett Poulsen	Kinesiology	SO	3.79	Valleyford, WA	WWU
Liam Rapp*	Kinesiology	JR	3.54	Ridgefield, WA	WWU
Luke Reiss*	Economics	JR	3.91	San Luis Obispo, CA	WWU
Nathan Reseigh*	Financial Economics	JR	3.62	Boulder, CO	WWU
Cole Riley*	Finance	SR	3.28	Orting, WA	WWU
Diego Rodriguez #	Electrical & Computer Eng.	SR	3.25	San Antonio, TX	WWU
Jacob Schutt	Kinesiology	JR	3.76	Kenmore, WA	WWU
Eduardo Tobon Sanchez*	Manufacturing & Supply Chain Mgmt	JR	3.60	Richland, WA	WWU
Sabastian Vahid	Biochemistry	SO	3.89	Bellingham, WA	WWU
Eli Williams	Kinesiology	SO	3.98	LaGrande, OR	WWU
Spencer Zeljak*	Environmental Studies	JR	3.39	San Jose, CA	WWU