GREENWOOD, Ind. - Senior Maddie Pitts and graduate student Collin Burkhart of the Penn State Track and Field team were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honorees, the organization announced this week.
Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest-running and premier award recognizing athletic and academic excellence across college sports. The program honors student-athletes from all NCAA divisions, the NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year-round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities and conferences on local, regional, national and international levels.
As of July 2025, Penn State ranks No. 8 amongst all NCAA Division I institutions with 237 CSC Academic All-America honorees.
Maddie Pitts - Second Team
Senior Maddie Pitts earned CSC Second-Team Academic All-America honors while maintaining a 3.99 GPA and completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management. Pitts is only one of 45 women track student-athletes to earn Academic All-America honors, including 16 second-team honorees. This marks the first academic All-America honor of her career.
Pitts capped off a historic indoor season both personally and for the program. She earned the No. 1 regional ranking in the Mid-Atlantic in the pentathlon while also ranking fourth regionally in the 60m hurdles and fifth in the long jump. Nationally, Pitts ranked fifth in the pentathlon.
In the 2026 Big Ten Indoor Championships, Pitts set the program record in the pentathlon with 4,384 points to earn third place and her second bronze of her career. Leading the way was Pitts' field-best 8.34 in the 60m hurdles. She also placed third in both the long jump (6.24m) and shot put (12.91m), finished fourth in the 800m (2:16.68), and seventh in the high jump (1.67m).
In the NCAA Indoor Championships, Pitts earned a fifth-place finish in the pentathlon to secure her first First-Team All-America honors of her career. Pitts' performance was highlighted by a personal-best time of 8.19 in the 60m hurdles, a third-place finish in the shot put (12.74m/41-9.75), and a fourth-place finish in the 800m (2:14.80).
Pitts is one of the most decorated athletes in Penn State track and field history. She is a member of the program's No. 2 all-time Sprint Medley Relay team, running the 200m leg on the squad that recorded a time of 3:44.66. Individually, Pitts owns the No. 3 all-time mark in the heptathlon (5,778 points), the No. 3 all-time mark in the indoor 60m hurdles (8.19), and the No. 7 all-time mark in the outdoor 100m hurdles (13.56).
She earned Second-Team All-America honors in the 2025 heptathlon, Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in the 2024 heptathlon and won a Big Ten bronze medal in the 2024 pentathlon. She is also a two-time Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree, earning the distinction during the 2025 outdoor and 2026 indoor seasons.
Academically, Pitts is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, awarded to student-athletes who maintain a GPA of 3.7 or higher. She was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team three times, earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors twice, and helped the Penn State women’s team earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition three times.
Collin Burkhart - Third Team
Graduate student Collin Burkhart earned CSC Third-Team Academic All-America honors while maintaining a 3.95 GPA and completing his master's degree in Marketing Analytics and Insights. Burkhart was one of 45 men's honorees selected to the 2025-26 Academic All-America Team, including 15 Third Team selections. This marks Burkhart's second Academic All-America selection after previously earning Third-Team honors during the 2022-23 season.
Burkhart capped off a historic outdoor season, both personally and for the program. He earned the No. 1 regional ranking in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the hammer throw while also ranking 25th nationally. Burkhart also took the No.1 spot in the Mid-Atlantic regional ranking in indoor weight throw.
At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Burkhart recorded a personal-best hammer mark of 67.82m (222-6) to finish 13th overall and earn his first All American honors, placing on the Second-Team All-America. The performance moved him into third place on Penn State's all-time hammer throw list.
A decorated athlete, Burkhart also earned a bronze medal in the javelin throw at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with a mark of 65.54m (215-0) and received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award during the 2022 outdoor season.
Academically, Burkhart was named the 2025-26 Penn State Blue and White Academic Excellence Award recipient for his outstanding success, hard work, and achievement in the classroom.
He is a four-time CSC Academic All-District honoree and a four-time USTFCCCA Academic All-District honoree. Burkhart is also a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, including three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition, an honor awarded to student-athletes who maintain a GPA of 3.7 or higher. He helped the Penn State men's team earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition four times during his career.
CSC Academic All-District Honorees
12 members of the Penn State Track and Field Team also earned CSC Academic All-District honors after maintaining at least a 3.50 GPA, in at least their second year at their academic institution, and ranking in the regional Top 50 in at least one individual event.
Women’s:
Men’s