Five individuals and the Wayne State College men’s track and field team were honored Monday afternoon with All-Academic honors announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Individuals recognized were seniors Dylan Kneifl and Debonaire Williams, juniors Daniel Elge and Logan Moeller and sophomore Keaton Wattier while the team collected the USTFCCCA All-Academic honor for a 15th straight year with a 3.407 grade point average that ranked 19th-best in NCAA Division II.
To qualify for the team academic award, an institution must record a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher while individual award winners must maintain a 3.25 grade point average and have achieved a provisional or automatic qualifying mark for the NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championships.
Elge, a junior thrower from Aurora, posted a 3.367 grade point average majoring in exercise science. He earned All-NSIC honors in the hammer throw during the outdoor season with a career-best and NCAA provisional mark of 191’ 9” to place third. Elge set a new school record during the indoor season in the shot put with a mark of 53’ ¼” at the SDSU Holiday Invite (12/1/23).
Kneifl, a senior from Pilger, is a USTFCCCA All-Academic athlete for a fourth straight year recording a 3.463 grade point average majoring in construction management. He was an NCAA outdoor national qualifier in the high jump for a third straight season, matching his own school record clearing 7 ¼” at the Drake Relays (4/27/24). Kneifl was an All-NSIC selection in the high jump during both seasons, placing second at the NSIC Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
Moeller, a junior from Pierce, accounted for a 3.50 grade point average majoring in construction management. He earned All-NSIC honors with a third-place finish in the long jump at the NSIC Outdoor Championships (24’ 5”), which was ranked 12th in the Central Region, and just missed another medal taking ninth in the triple jump. Moeller was seventh in the long jump at the NSIC Indoor Championships at 22’ 11 ¼”. He was a repeat selection to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
Wattier, a sophomore from Osmond, maintained a 3.494 grade point average majoring in business marketing and finance. He recorded an NCAA provisional mark and new school record time of 8.08 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles during the indoor season to finish fifth at the NSIC Championships to go with a fourth-place medal in the 110-meter high hurdles at the NSIC Outdoor Championships in 14.37 seconds.
Williams, a senior from Lafayette, Louisiana, had a 3.77 grade point average majoring in drama and theatre. He finished fourth in the decathlon at the NSIC Outdoor Championships scoring 6,091 points, ranking 15th in the Central Region. Williams was All-NSIC during the indoor season placing third in the heptathlon with 4,730 points and he was voted College Sports Communicators Academic All-District this season.
