NEW ORLEANS – The Southwest Minnesota State University women's and men's track & field teams, along with track & field student-athletes, junior Christine Sleeter, and sophomore Jacob Kunkel, were honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for their work in the classroom during the 2025-26 academic year.
 
The SMSU women's and men's teams earned USTFCCA Division II All-Academic status with both squads finishing with identical GPAs of 3.39.
 
The SMSU women's team had five student-athletes, while the men's team had four, earn College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors last month. A total of 28 combined members of the teams were named Academic All-NSIC for indoor/outdoor track & field this spring.
 
Sleeter and Kunkel were both named an USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete. To qualify, athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and must have finished the season among the top 50 individuals as listed on the descending order lists on TFRRS.
           
Sleeter, a physical education major from Suring, Wis., is a three-year member of the track & field team and earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors this spring. Sleeter's 1.67m mark in the high jump during the indoor season ranked 45^th in Division II.
 
Kunkel, a native of Breckenridge, Minn., and a two-year member of the program, was named CSC Academic All-District last month as an exercise science major. Kunkel's mark of 2.05m in the high jump during the outdoor season ranked 37^th in Division II.   
 
It's the seventh straight season the SMSU women's team has earned the honor during Kirk Nauman's seven seasons as head coach.