Greenville, SC – The College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Men's and Women's Track & Field/Cross Country honorees were released on Tuesday. Conference Carolinas had 40 student-athletes, 21 men and 19 women, from seven institutions recognized.
Belmont Abbey College, Converse University, Francis Marion University, King University, University of Mount Olive, UNC Pembroke and Southern Wesleyan University all had individuals recognized.
Southern Wesleyan was honored as four Warriors were among those represented Academic All-District Teams. Grady Clark, Ethan Marchman and Kaden Reeder represented the Warriors on the men's side, while Merritt Smith represented the Warriors on the women's.
Merritt Smith had a stand out senior season for the Warriors. During the Cross Country season, the senior led the Warriors in the Conference Carolinas Championship as her time of 23:28.02 allowed her to claim sixth place. Smith not only earned All-Conference First Team honors, but also broke the school record in the 6K. She continued her successful year during the Track & Field seasons. She took first place in both the 3000 meters and 5000 meters to allow her to earn not only All-Conference First Team honors, but to also receive the title of Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Smith continued to impress during the Outdoor Track & Field season where she was ranked 18th in the region in the 10,000 meters with her time of 39:07.27. The senior out of Florida went on to claim First Team All-Conference honors in the 5000 meters and finished second in the 10,000 meters to be named to the Second Team All-Conference. Smith went on to break a combined five school records throughout both the Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field seasons.
Grady Clark, Ethan Marchman and Kaden Reeder each had stand out seasons in their senior years with Southern Wesleyan.
Grady Clark kicked off his senior season on the cross country course as he claimed eighth place in the Conference Carolinas Cross Country Championship with his time of 26:03.12 to give him All-Conference Second Team honors. In the Cross Country regionals, Clark finished in 69th place. He carried that energy into the Track & Field seasons. Clark was a member of the Warriors Distance Medley Relay team that took first place during the Conference Carolinas Championship to claim All-Conference First Team honors. The relay team went on to be ranked in the region and broke the school record with a time of 10:14.41.
Ethan Marchman joined Grady Clark on the Distance Medley Relay team that finished first in the Conference Carolinas Championship. The senior from Georgia also broke the school record in the 600 meters during the Clemson Opener as he finished with a time of 1:22.4. Marchman continued to be a vital part of the Warriors relay teams during the Outdoor Track & Field season as he was a member of the Warriors' 4x400 Meter Relay team that took third place in the championship to earn All-Conference Third Team honors. The 4x400 Meter Relay team's time of 3:16.61 not only allowed them to break the previous school record in the event, but ranked them ninth in the region in the event.
Kaden Reeder joined fellow distance runners Grady Clark and Ethan Marchman on the Academic All-District Team. Reeder, a senior out of West Union, SC, claimed All-Conference Third Team honors in the Conference Carolinas Cross Country Championship during the fall season as his time of 2:43.7 allowed him to take 20th place. Reeder went on to compete in the regionals where he finished in 59th place.
CSC RELEASE | MEN'S TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY (PDF) | WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTR (PDF)
The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Cross Country/Track & Field teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes cross country/track & field honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Academic All-District® honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced July 14 (men) and July 15 (women).
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 2025-26 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.
