UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Eight members of the Penn State track & field team were named to the CSC Academic All-District team, the organization announced in a Tuesday release.
The Nittany Lion women earned five spots, with Makenna Krebs, Maddie Pitts, Florence Caron, Maddie Ullom, and Hailey Zurich collecting the honors. The men's squad placed three on the team, as Jonathan Petersen, Ryan Watson, and Collin Burkhart all earned nods.
To be considered for Academic All-District consideration, a track & field student-athlete must maintain a 3.50 cumulative GPA and be ranked in the top 50 in their region in a single event. Each of Penn State's honorees met and exceeded each of the qualifications this season.
THE HONOREES
Women's Team
Florence Caron – 4.0 GPA (Linguistics)
Caron recently completed her outdoor track & field season earning Second Team All-America honors in the 10K. Caron also earned First Team All-America recognition as a member of Penn State's indoor women's DMR team. In the fall, she collected Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors as the 11th-place finisher in the meet and helped the team qualify for the NCAA Championships. Her all-around display through all three seasons of the sport shows her importance and versatility to the Nittany Lions.
Maddie Pitts – 3.98 GPA (Hospitality Management)
Pitts medaled in both the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon at the Big Ten Championships as a sophomore. Her silver medal performance in the heptathlon at the conference outdoor championships was the fifth-best heptathlon in school history. Pitts has steadily improved in every event through her first two years at Penn State and the results at the conference meet are evidence of her progression.
Makenna Krebs – 3.96 GPA (Kinesiology)
Krebs won the Big Ten outdoor silver medal in the steeplechase in her final year as a Nittany Lion. The kinesiology student set the No. 4 steeplechase time in school history at the Penn Relays this season and was an NCAA qualifier in the event. She was also a member of the Nittany Lion women's cross country squad that qualified to the NCAA Championships.
Hailey Zurich – 3.77 GPA (Mechanical Engineering)
Zurich advanced to the NCAA East Regionals in the pole vault following her standout performance at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in which she cleared 4.17m for fifth in the conference. She set the No. 2 mark in school history in the pole vault at the East Region Prelims, and will go down as one of the best vaulters to ever call Happy Valley home.
Maddie Ullom – 3.56 GPA (Biobehavioral Health)
Ullom was an integral member of Penn State's women's squad in all three seasons this past year. In cross country, she collected First Team All-Big Ten and Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors as she helped her team advance to the NCAA Championships. She was a First Team All-American during the indoor track season, placing seventh in the nation as a member of the Nittany Lions' women's DMR squad. She concluded outdoor season with an appearance at the NCAA East Region Prelims.
Men's Team
Collin Burkhart – 3.81 GPA (Marketing)
Burkhart recorded the fifth-best weight throw mark in Penn State history during his 2024 indoor campaign. The junior's outdoor season was cut short by injury in just his first meet of the year, however he still managed to record the 20th-best hammer mark in the East region before his injury. A CSC Third Team Academic All-American last season, Burkhart has proven his strength in the classroom and in the field of competition.
Jonathan Petersen – 3.62 GPA (Graphic Design)
Petersen enjoyed a solid pole vault season in 2024, setting his season high at the Virginia Challenge with a 5.00-meter clearance in a third place finish.
Ryan Watson – 3.54 GPA (Finance)
Watson posted a solid season following a redshirt year in 2022-23. He finished one spot out of an All-Region nod in cross country with a 10K PR at the Mid-Atlantic Regional meet. He followed that with a solid track season, culminating a Big Ten Championship final appearance in the 1500-meter run.
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