AUSTIN, Texas --- Five Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2025 NCAA Division II Track & Field Academic All-District® 3 first team as selected by the College Sports Communicators.
Earning Academic All-District® honors are: Noah Girard, Michael McGrath, McKenzie Morton, Isaiah Olson and Eva Tolliver.
The 2025 Academic All-District® Track & Field Team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the track and in the classroom.
District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 (undergraduate and graduate) or higher and must be at least a sophomore. Nominees must have recorded an individual top-50 performance in the region based on their TFRRS performance list rankings.
Girard, a sophomore thrower from Enfield, Connecticut, boasts a 3.95 GPA while majoring in sport science. He is a member of the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, President's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
He finished the season ranked sixth in the Southeast Region in the javelin with his school-record throw of 54.37 meters to earn the gold medal at the Livingstone Blue Bear Invitational last March. He earned a fifth-place finish at the SAC Outdoor Championship with his throw of 51.01 meters.
McGrath, sophomore from Boca Raton, Florida, has a 3.91 GPA and is majoring in business administration. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, President's List, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
McGrath had a pair of top-50 regional performances this year. His javelin throw of 52.04 meters (3rd in TU history) at the Mountaineer First Chance was tops at the event and the 11th best throw in the Southeast this spring. He also finished 40th regionally in the discus with his throw of 39.74 meters at the Electric City Invitational.
Morton, a sophomore from Knoxville, Tennessee, is majoring in interdisciplinary studies and has a 3.95 GPA. She has been recognized on the President's List, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List, SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
Morton recorded three top-20 regional marks in both the indoor and outdoor seasons while earning USTFCCCA All-Region laurels. Her outdoor 400 time of 57.02 seconds at the Electric City Invitational is listed 13th regionally and earned bronze distinction at the meet. Her indoor 400-meter time of 58.81 at the VMI Winter Relays is ranked 18th in the Southeast. She was a member of the bronze-winning 4 x 400-meter relay team won the bronze at the SAC Outdoor Championship with a school-record time of 3:46.40 (3rd in the Region).
Olson, a junior from Greeneville, Tennessee, returns to the CSC Academic All-District Team for a second straight year. He has a 3.68 GPA and is majoring in business administration. He is a member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll. In 2024, he was the recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2ADA) Academic Achievement Award.
In 2025, Olson had numerous regional marks and qualified for the NCAA II Outdoor Championship in the 100 meters with a TU-record time 10.27 seconds set at the Electric City Invitational which ranks second in the Southeast Region. He broke the school record in the 100 meters at the NCAA National Championship with a time of 10.21 seconds in the preliminaries. He also ranked fourth in the region in the 200 meters at 20.93 seconds (2nd in TU history), also set at the Electric City Invite earning him USTFCCCA All-Region distinction.
He garnered USTFCCCA All-Region Indoor honors this past March in the 200 meters where he was timed in 21.47 seconds at the Liberty Open (5th in Region) and seventh in the 60 meters with a time of 6.74 seconds at the SAC Indoor Championship (7th in Region).
Olson was the 2024 SAC Outdoor Men's Track Athlete of the Meet and was the 2023 recipient of the TU Freshman of the Year Academic Award. He is also a two-time member of the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team.
Tolliver, a graduate student from Mascot, Tennessee, finished her undergraduate career at Wheeling University in 2024 where she finished with honors with a 3.90 GPA. She is working on her Master of Sport Management from Tusculum where she has a 3.86 GPA. She is a member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Tolliver logged a time of 1:09.02 in the 400 hurdles at the SAC Outdoor Championship which is ranked 15th in the region.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes track & field honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced next month. The women's Academic All-America® team will be released July 15 followed by the men's team on July 16.
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 2024-2025 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
