AUSTIN, Texas -- Three MSU Moorhead track & field student-athletes have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, the organization announced on Tuesday. Sophomore jumper Hunter Petersen, junior sprinter Elliott MacLennan and senior distancer Braxton Bruer were among the Dragon nods. 

Petersen, a Jamestown, N.D., native earns her first trip to the esteemed team behind a 3.91 cumulative GPA as a digital media management major at MSUM. MacLennan earns the spot for the second consecutive year, bolstering a 3.7 cumulative GPA as a criminal justice major. Bruer, who just wrapped up his competitive career at MSUM, earns his second trip to the Academic All-District Team thanks to his 3.61 GPA as an MBA student at MSUM. Student-athletes must achieve a 3.5 GPA or higher in both undergraduate and graduate level coursework to be eligible for nomination. Bruer held a 3.69 cumulative GPA as an undergraduate business adminstration major. 

The 2024 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Track & Field teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the track, in the field, and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes men's 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, who vote in their division. Thanks to Bruer's success on the track in 2023-24, he will be listed on the national ballot. Bruer was a CSC Third Team Academic All-American in 2022-23. 

Women's Track and Field/XC first-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on Tuesday, July 9. The Men's Track and Field/XC first-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced one day later on July 10.
 
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 2023-24 Divisions II and III Academic All America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.
 
It is incumbent upon CSC members to nominate the most outstanding student-athletes at their institution based on the criteria below.

Academic standing:

• Student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically.
• Student-athletes must be enrolled at their institution at the time of nomination either as undergraduates or graduate students. Only the school at which an athlete competed in the current academic year can nominate that player.
• Student-athletes who have graduated from their own institution during the current academic year and are not competing in athletics at another institution at the time of nomination are eligible.

Academic eligibility:

• An undergraduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).
• A graduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as both an undergraduate and a grad student unless they are in their first semester as a graduate student and don't have an established graduate GPA.
• The cumulative grade point average may not be rounded up to 3.50.

 Athletic Eligibility:
 

• Eligible nominees will be based off of TFRRS performance list rankings at the time of nomination. NCAA institutions: Top 50 in region in a single INDIVIDUAL event (XC, indoor or outdoor)

 
For more information about CSC Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.