2024 USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams (women's track & field)
2024 USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals (women's track & field)
2024 USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals (men's track & field)

NEW ORLEANS -- In a Monday announcement by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, Academy of Art University track & field had eight Urban Knights earn All-Academic Individual awards in addition to the sixth All-Academic Team honor in program history for the women's squad. Sprinters Lauryn James, Toni-Ann Lindsay, Erine Collard, Alicia Thomas, distance runner Katharina Goetschl, and mid-distance runner Michaela Andrews were among the individuals featured on the women's side while the men's team was represented by hurdler Josh Marlin and mid-distance runner/sprinter Taj-Leon Wisdom.

In order to make the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team list, a program must have collectively delivered a 3.00 cumulative team grade point average or higher for the year. The academic success of 15 women's track & field student-athletes was factored into a 3.13 GPA with 12 of those individuals posting or contributing to times/distances that were NCAA Division II provisional marks across the indoor and outdoor seasons. To read more about what Academy of Art achieved this season, click here. There were a total of 136 women's teams honored by the USTFCCCA for their academic success.

To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors individually, the student-athlete must have compiled a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and have reached a provisional or automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA Championships in either the indoor or outdoor seasons.

Lauryn James
In addition to supporting a 3.46 cumulative GPA in the School of Animation & Visual Effects, James turned in dominant indoor and outdoor campaigns that both ended with her as both an All-American and one of the top track athletes in the West Region. To start, the native of Philadelphia's best 60m of 7.48 (fourth in ART U history) came at the GVSU Big Meet on Feb. 10 and she joined her teammates for the Knights' fastest 4x400m of 3:46.58 at the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational on Feb. 23, but her best 200m of the year was saved for Indoor Nationals. To reach the event final, the eventual Indoor West Region Track Athlete of the Year dropped a 23.91, second only to multi-time Hall of Famer Vashti Thomas and 11-time All-American Selena Arjona-Alcazar in Academy of Art history, to finish seventh overall (first in the West Region).

A three-time PacWest Track Athlete of the Week (Mar. 19, Mar. 27, Apr. 23), James initially broke the program's 100m record at Mt. SAC Relays on Apr. 19 before bettering that mark with an 11.40 in the event's Outdoor Nationals prelims. Her best 200m time (23.31) made her a PacWest Champion and contributed 10 of her 22.5 points that earned her the title of PacWest Most Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet. Also first with her 4x400m relay teammates at the conference meet, the Animation & Visual Effects major anchored the Urban Knights' 3:38.36 record-breaking effort on May 11 at the Franson Last Chance. James closed the season as an All-American in the 100m, 4x100m, and 4x400m while ranking among the country's top 21 in five different events and inside ART U's top three all-time in every event she competed in this year. This is the first USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual honor for James who was also an Academic All-PacWest Team selection.

Toni-Ann Lindsay
Making an immediate impact for Academy of Art in her first collegiate season, Lindsay accomplished quite a bit on the track as well as in the classroom with a 3.53 cumulative GPA in the School of Communications & Media Technologies. The native of Portmore, Jamaica added her name to the program's top five all-time list with a 7.49 in the 60m dash on Feb. 23 at the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational and served as an integral part of the Urban Knights' All-Region 4x400m relay which ended the regular season inside the nation's top 25. Lindsay went on to make herself an Outdoor Nationals provisional qualifier in the 100m, 200m, and 400m during the year, but it was her work on the relays that helped the team make history.

Excelling across the board, Lindsay was part of the aforementioned 3:38.36 record-breaking 4x400m effort on May 11 at the Franson Last Chance, helped ART U go 44.50 for what was the second-fastest 4x100m time in NCAA DII (third in program history) during the regular season, and dropped the third-quickest 100m mark among Urban Knights (11.47) all that same day. The Communications & Media Technologies major ended her outdoor campaign with two USTFCCCA All-Region selections, was a PacWest Champion in the 4x400m, placed inside the top five in four events at the conference meet, and was named PacWest Freshman Track Athlete of the Year. Coming with her first Academic All-PacWest Team honor earlier this month, this is the first USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual selection for Lindsay in her ART U career.

Erine Collard
Along with increasing her cumulative GPA to a 3.48 in the School of Architecture, Collard was able to run some of the fastest times of her career in 2024. New indoor personal records in the 60m and 400m dashes highlighted the native of Jambes, Belgium's third indoor campaign with her time in the 400m at the GVSU Big Meet nearly a full half-second quicker. Meanwhile, Collard contributed legs of two Indoor Nationals provisional 4x400m relay marks and one in the distance medley relay as well.

After besting multiple NCAA Division I opponents in the 4x400m relay at the Mangrum Invitational, the Architecture major was later part of an Outdoor Nationals provisional 4x100m relay at the Franson Last Chance and also spent that same meet running her fastest all-conditions times in the 100m and 200m dashes. Collard, who picked up her third Academic All-PacWest Team selection in July, becomes a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual after previously earning the distinction in 2023.

Alicia Thomas
Navigating the final year of her collegiate career as a graduate student in Academy of Art's School of Communications & Media Technologies, Thomas signed off on a 3.59 cumulative GPA, the highest grade point average among ART U's honorees this year, while making contributions to the Urban Knights on the track.

Thomas, who competed in four meets during the indoor season, welcomed the outdoor campaign where she provided the third leg on the first of what would be three Outdoor Nationals provisional 4x100m relay marks at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational. The other two performances saw the native of Bradenton, Fla. anchor at the Franson Last Chance then, one day later, lead off in the regular season finale at the Cal State LA Very Last Chance. Securing her second career Academic All-PacWest Team after her work appeared in the Spring Show the month prior, Thomas now adds to her resume the first USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual honor of her career.

Katharina Goetschl
Coming off her first cross country season as an Urban Knight, Goetschl delivered multiple Indoor Nationals provisional marks prior to a record-breaking All-American outdoor season all while working on a 3.37 cumulative GPA in the School of Industrial Design. The month of January featured both of her most notable indoor efforts as she initially anchored what would be one of the country's top 40 regular season marks in the distance medley relay at the Spokane Indoor Challenge then delivered ART U's third-fastest mile, going 4:53.35 at the Wendy's / Pittsburg State Invitational to elevate past the Indoor Nationals provisional standard.

Goetschl delivered four new all-time bests by an Urban Knight in the 3000m steeplechase as the outdoor season followed. The final of those records (10:13.58) helped the Oberndorf an der Melk, Austria native take fourth at Outdoor Nationals to become an All-American after she defended her PacWest title in the event. Additionally, she was the PacWest Champion in the 5000m, added two more All-Region honors to make it seven total in her ART U career, entered the program's top four all-time in the 1500m and 5000m, and ended her junior season as an All-American in the 5000m. On the Academic All-PacWest Team for a second consecutive year and CSC Academic All-District for the first time, Goetschl also collects her second USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual honor to date after previously earning the distinction in 2023.

Michaela Andrews
In addition to her 3.55 cumulative GPA in the School of Fashion Styling, Andrews was able to contribute provisional marks both individually and alongside her relay teammates during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Just her second meet of the indoor season saw the Sacramento, Calif. native provide the third leg of what would be a top 40 distance medley relay for the Urban Knights at the Spokane Indoor Challenge. She then broke the ART U 600m record in addition to turning in an indoor 400m best at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic and proceeded spend the GVSU Big Meet authoring her fastest indoor 800m to date, joining NCAA DII's top 35 Indoor Nationals provisional qualifiers.

Andrews worked toward running her best races in the second half of the outdoor season, starting with the fastest 400m of her career at the Cal State LA Twilight Open as well as anchoring ART U's Outdoor Nationals provisional 4x400m relay that same weekend at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The Fashion Styling major added another Outdoor Nationals provisional when she made podium with a third-place finish in the PacWest Championship 800m final. A member of the Academic All-PacWest Team for the second straight year, Andrews also secures her second USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual selection in as many years with Academy of Art.

Josh Marlin
A strong first year with Academy of Art saw Marlin become a three-time All-American while producing a 3.37 cumulative GPA in the School of Communications & Media Technologies. The native of Tracy, Calif. put himself on the Indoor Nationals provisional lists in both the 400m and 4x400m relay, running his best in both events at the GVSU Big Meet. He entered Indoor Nationals as anchor to the Knights' top-ranked 4x400m relay quartet and they would emerge from the indoor finale as All-Americans.

Success continued for Marlin as the weather warmed up. He added his name to the program's top three in the 400m hurdles, running his best (50.68, third in NCAA DII) at runner-up to the PacWest Champion prior to joining the nation's top 30 with a 47.17 in the 400m (fifth in ART U history) and Academy of Art's top five in the 800m both at the Franson Last Chance. Meanwhile, he combined with his teammates to essentially rewrite the program record books in the 4x400m relay, anchoring each of the squad's four performances among the top five all-time including two at Outdoor Nationals where he was an All-American in the event as well as the 400m hurdles. Coming with his first Academic All-PacWest Team honor earlier month, this is the first USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual selection for Marlin in his ART U career.

Taj-Leon Wisdom
It was a season of several personal records for Wisdom who simultaneously offered a 3.32 cumulative GPA in the School of Communications & Media Technologies. During the early months of the track schedule, the native of Spanish Town, Jamaica ran his fastest indoor 800m at the GVSU Holiday Open then added his firsts marks to date in the 600 yard run and 600m at the Rumble in the Jungle Invitational and GVSU Big Meet respectively.

As the action moved outdoors in March, Wisdom offered a 1500m personal record at the PLNU Track & Field Invitational then a 400m personal record at the Franson Last Chance the same weekend that he posted a personal record in the 800m and contributed the third leg of ART U's Outdoor Nationals provisional 4x400m relay both at the Cal State LA Very Last Chance. Coming with his first Academic All-PacWest Team honor earlier month, this is the first USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual selection for Wisdom in his ART U career.

James, Lindsay, Collard, Thomas, Goetschl, and Andrews were among the more than 540 Division II women to earn the honor while Marlin and Wisdom were two of the more than 430 men awarded this distinguished USTFCCCA All-Academic honor for their combined academic and athletic accomplishments.