BISMARCK, ND – Nine University of Mary scholar-athletes earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) 2022-23 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Track & Field / Cross Country Team honors for NCAA Division II. Alyssa Becker, Ava Grimm, Morgan Hertz, Nicole Kramchynsky and Arianna Passeri from the UMary women's program and Akil Howell, Brandon Hoyte, Dillan Kovash and Joseph Patchen-Mills of the Marauders men's team were selected for their achievements in both the classroom and the athletic realm.
 
Howell, a sophomore from Barbados with a 3.83 grade point average in accounting/financial services and banking, is a 2-time NSIC all-academic team selection. He helped the Marauders win the 4x100 meter relay at the 2023 NSIC outdoor championships while also racing on the Marauders school record-breaking 4x400 meter relay team.
 
A sophomore pursuing a degree in business administration with a 3.50 GPA, Hoyte is a 2-time member of the NSIC all-academic team. The native of Barbados helped the Marauders win the 2023 NSIC outdoor 4x100 meter relay title, placed 2^nd in the 100 and 4^th in the 200. He was 3^rd in the 60 at the 2023 NSIC indoor championships. At the 2022 NSIC indoor championships Hoyte won the 60 meter championship and was 2^nd in the 200. During the 2023 outdoor season he posted NCAA provisional qualifying times in the 100, 200 and 4x400.
 
Kovash is a graduate student in physical therapy with a 4.0 GPA after earning a bachelor's degree with a 3.96 GPA. The 2023 NSIC men's indoor track & field Elite 18 recipient for academic excellence, an NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction award recipient and an 8-time NSIC all-academic team performer, the Manning, ND, native was a 7-time placer at NSIC indoor and outdoor championships while competing in the pole vault and javelin. Kovash was the 2021 NSIC indoor championship runner-up in the pole vault.  
 
A junior pursuing a degree in physical education, Joseph Patchen-Mills is a junior from Bismarck, ND, with a 3.64 GPA. He placed 4^th in the 600m at the 2023 Northern Sun indoor championships and qualified for the 2023 NSIC 800m outdoor finals. Mills is a 4-time NSIC all-academic team selection.
 
A cross country All-American, Becker is a sophomore nursing student with a 3.98 GPA. The Seabeck, WA native was the 2022 NSIC women's cross country championships runner-up who placed 42^nd at the NCAA championships. Becker earned All-American honors after placing 17^th at the 2021 NCAA cross country championships and also earned All-NSIC honors. She placed second at the 2022 NSIC indoor championships in the 3000 meter run.
 
Grimm, a senior in exercise science with a 3.85 GPA, is a 2-time Northern Sun women's indoor 600 meter champion (2022, 2023). The Elk River, MN, native is a 6-time NSIC all-conference runner (600m indoors '23, '22, '21, '20 / outdoor 4x400 relay '23 / indoor 4x400 relay '22) who is a Northern Sun Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction award winner and a 6-time NSIC all-academic team choice.
 
Hertz, a 2^nd team NCAA All-American, owns a 3.98 GPA at UMary as a junior in exercise science. The 2023 Northern Sun outdoor 400 meter hurdle champion, the native of Mott, ND, finished 9^th in the event at the 2023 NCAA outdoor championships to claim 2^nd team All-American honors. Hertz is a 6-time All-Northern Sun performer (400m hurdles '23, '22, '21 / 4x100 outdoors '23 / 4x400 outdoors '23 / 4x400 indoors '22) and a 2023 NCAA outdoor provisional in the 400 hurdles, the 4x100 and the 4x400. She is a 6-time Northern Sun all-academic team selection.
 
A senior in exercise science with a 3.98 GPA from Rosthern, SK, Kramchynsky is the 2023 University of Mary Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, a Northern Sun Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction award recipient and a 6-time member of the Northern Sun all-academic team. A 2-time All-Northern Sun performer in the javelin (2021, 2023), Kramchynsky was the 2022 NSIC runner-up and met the NCAA provisional qualifying standards in 2023.
 
A three-time All-American and a native of Rosemount, MN, Passeri is a speech-language pathology student at UMary with a 3.70 GPA. A junior athletically, she finished 3^rd in the long jump at the 2023 NCAA outdoor championships and 6^th at the 2023 NCAA indoor championships to twice earn 1^st team All-American recognition. She earned 2^nd team honors at the 2022 NCAA indoor championships. The 2023 Northern Sun outdoor long jump champion was the  runner-up at the 2023 NSIC indoor championships. The 6-time All-Northern Sun performer (long jump indoors '23, '22 / long jump outdoors '23, '22 / 4x100 outdoors '23, '22) is a 6-time Northern Sun all-academic team selection.  
 
To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District® and All-America® Track & Field / Cross Country honors, a scholar-athlete must compete in at least 50% of the team's competitions, maintain a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.50 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CSC has bestowed Academic All-America® honors to student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
 
Academic All-District® Track & Field / Cross Country Team honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced June 29. 
 
For more information on the CSC Academic All-America® program, go to academicallamerica.com.
 
About The CSC
The Division II and III CSC Academic All‐America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2022‐23 Divisions II and III Academic All‐America® programs.
 
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