RIPON, Wisconsin – The Ripon College men's and women's track and field programs received national recognition on Monday as both squads were named All-Academic teams by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
 
This is the seventh consecutive yearly honor for Ripon women's track and field and the fourth straight award for the men's program.
 
In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.1 on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, among other qualifiers.
 
In addition, Jacoby Cefalu, Jacob Davies, Sidney Hoffa and Mikayla Flyte were named All-Academic athletes for being ranked in the top 50 nationally for an individual event (or top-35 for a relay event) and for having at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average.
 
Cefalu, a junior Psychology major from Hartland, Wisconsin, had a breakthrough 2023-24 season for the Red Hawks. His time of 21.69 in the 200-meter dash qualified him for indoor nationals in March, while he also had the 33rd-fastest 60-meter dash time in the indoor season (6.88). This past season, Cefalu set indoor school records in the 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and the 4x200 relay in addition to outdoor school records in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 4x100 relay. He won the outdoor 200 title at the Midwest Conference Championships and helped Ripon win the indoor 4x200 MWC title. Throughout both the indoor and outdoor 2024 campaigns, Cefalu was named All-MWC in four different events.
 
Davies, a senior Exercise Science - Sports Management major from Brandon, Wisconsin, was part of Ripon's 4x100 relay team that broke the program record with a time of 41.20 at the NCAA Final Qualifier in Rock Island, Illinois in mid-May. That same foursome of Davies, Cefalu, Logan Vander Galien and Dameco Walker won the MWC title the weekend before, nearly setting a conference meet record. Ripon's time of 41.20 was the 23rd-fastest 4x100 time in Division III this past outdoor season.
 
Hoffa, a freshman from Coloma, Wisconsin, ranked in the top-50 nationally in the long jump, jumping 5.48m at Ripon's Dick Hendricks Invite in February. She was also an All-Midwest Conference performer in the indoor long jump.
 
Flyte, a senior English and Secondary Education major also from Coloma, had the 39th-best 10K time in the country in the 2024 outdoor season. Her 36:15.03 performance at La Crosse's Phil Esten Challenge in April set a new Ripon program record in that event.
 
Ripon swept both the indoor and outdoor Midwest Conference team titles in both men's and women's track and field in 2024. Cefalu, Walker and Jenny Cortes all qualified for the Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in March, while Walker and Ben Fisher represented Ripon on the national stage at outdoor nationals in May. Walker was named a first-team All-American in both the indoor long jump and triple jump competitions.