DIII Men’s Track & Field Scholar Athletes of the Year & All-Academic Individuals Announced

NEW ORLEANS — Josh Thorson of UW-Eau Claire, Tyler Burdoff of Baldwin Wallace, Daniel Pietsch of Emory and Max Leonard of Illinois Wesleyan were named the Male Scholar Athletes of the Year in NCAA Division III Track & Field for the 2015-16 season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Combining their accomplishments in the classroom and in competition during the recently completed academic year, these four men were the most exceptional among a group of 293 men who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors on Thursday.

QUICK LINKS: USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Team | PDF Release

Scholar Athletes of the Year were selected as the highest finishing performers at the NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships who achieved All-Academic status. Those who won multiple individual championship titles ranked higher in the tie-breaking process and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final tiebreaker.

Separate awards are given to the track athletes and field athletes for the indoor and outdoor season, hence the four categories.

Thorson, a senior from Plymouth, Minnesota, earned a cumulative GPA of 3.877. At the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, he played a pivotal role in helping the Blugolds win a national title by winning national titles at 3000 meters (8:25.25) and 5000 meters (14:16.46, a near eight-second win). This is the first award of this kind for UW-Eau Claire.

Burdoff, a senior majoring in Exercise Science and Pre-Physical Therapy, had a 3.458 GPA and shined as a thrower. The Painesville, Ohio native, who is the first male athlete at Baldwin Wallace to win the Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year Award, finished runner-up in the weight throw at NCAAs with a heave of 19.08m (62-7¼).

Pietsch, a sophomore majoring in Economics own a GPA of 3.38. The native of Kula, Hawaii is the first Emory athlete to win an Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. Pietsch won the DIII 400-meter title outdoors with a time of 46.92 after taking fourth in the prelim heats.

Leonard, a senior double majoring in Physics and Economics, excelled in the classroom with a GPA of 3.93. The native of Glenview, Illinois becomes the Titans’ first Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. Leonard made the most of his fourth attempt at the NCAA Outdoor meet when he threw the discus 53.55m (175-8) and won the NCAA title.

All-Academic Individuals

Including the Scholar Athletes of the Year, a total of 293 men from 106 institutions earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors during the 2015-16 track & field season.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team, the student athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.3 and have met at least one of the following athletic standards:

• Competed in an NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship
• Finished the regular season ranked in the national top 35 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 25 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org

The team with the most All-Academic honorees was MIT with 15, followed by UW-La Crosse with 14 and Middlebury with 11.