SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Ten cross country student-athletes, five men and five women, were named to the 2024 Cross Country Academic All-Summit League teams, league officials announced Tuesday. The individuals on the teams were selected for the award based on their academic and athletic performances during the 2024 cross country season.
St. Thomas senior Ava Pankratz was the only individual on the women’s side to earn the honor for the second straight season. The 2024 Summit League Women’s Cross Country Scholar of the Championship presented by JLG Architects, Emma Hain of Omaha, as well as North Dakota’s Eliana Malnourie, South Dakota’s Madison Brouwer and South Dakota State’s Kayla Christopherson each earned their first career accolade.
South Dakota State’s Will Lohr was honored on the men’s side for the second time in his career. The Scholar of the Championship for the men, St. Thomas’ Tony Weeks along with Oral Roberts’ Andrew Smithwick, USD’s Piercze Marshall and SDSU’s Josh Becker received the honor for the first time in their respective careers.
To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale) completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team's competitions.
Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league's institutions that carry cross country, and voting is conducted by both the SIDs and facility athletic representatives (FARs). Each team is made up of the 5 student-athletes receiving the most votes.
2024 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
| Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Eliana Malnourie |
North Dakota |
Sr. |
Hayward, Wis. |
3.79 |
Public Health Education |
| Emma Hain |
Omaha |
Sr. |
Lincoln, Neb. |
4.0 |
Architectural Engineering |
| Ava Pankratz** |
St. Thomas |
Sr. |
Eau Claire, Wis. |
4.0 |
Biology |
| Madison Brouwer |
South Dakota |
So. |
Sibley, Iowa |
4.0 |
Pre-Nursing |
| Kayla Christopherson |
South Dakota State |
Sr. |
Austin, Minn. |
4.0 |
Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering |
2024 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
| Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Andrew Smithwick |
Oral Roberts |
So. |
Tulsa, Okla. |
4.0 |
Worship/Media/Performing Arts |
| Anthony Weeks |
St. Thomas |
Sr. |
Hudson, Wis. |
4.0 |
Mechanical Engineering |
| Piercze Marshall |
South Dakota |
So. |
Omaha, Neb. |
3.92 |
Mathematics |
| Josh Becker |
South Dakota State |
Sr. |
Osseo, Wis. |
3.85 |
Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering |
| Will Lohr** |
South Dakota State |
So. |
Sioux City, Iowa |
3.89 |
Civil Engineering |
*Career Cross Country Academic All-League honors
#SummitXC
