BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Forty-one Gulf South Conference student-athletes, men and women, were named to the 2025-26 Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-District® teams as selected by College Sports Communicators. 

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: MEN | WOMEN

Of those selected, six GSC representative advanced to the Academic All-America® ballot, including UAH’s Amiah Murry and Ahmed Ibrahim, Lee’s Aria Hawkins and Stephen Clark, Mississippi College’s Lauren Wallace, and West Alabama’s Dedric Hicks.

Student-athletes with a cumulative 3.5 GPA or higher and satisfy other criteria are eligible to be nominated by members of the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). Nominees recognized with Academic All-District® honors are then added to the national ballot which is voted on all College Sports Communicators members affiliated with a Division II school or conference.

The 2026 Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America® honorees will be announced July 13, while men’s selections will be released on July 14.

2026 Women’s Academic All-District Selections
UAH (3): Anna Katherine Hopkins, Tamsyn Gibbs, Amiah Murry*, Hailey Smith
AUM (1): Emma McGee
Lee (4): Brynn Depinet, Katie Beam, Aria Hawkins*, Liz Lannom
Mississippi College (4): Bre Bell, Taylor Benoit, Audrey Mayatte, Lauren Wallace*
Montevallo (5): Samantha Bennett, Leah Dendy, Hallie Harrell, Elizabeth Hayhurst, Sarah Turner
West Alabama (2): Kiona McCallister, Rita Walker
West Florida (3): Jessica Chappell, Chloe Rook, Sydney Orth

2026 Men’s Academic All-District Selections
UAH (2): Ahmad Ibrahim*, Wes Egalite
Lee (4): Ryan Lovelace, Chris Ross, Luke Gaddis, Stephen Clark*
Mississippi College (3): Matthew Singletary, Baxter Friedman, Sidney Stegall
Montevallo (6): Preston Bennett, Ryan Cox, Christopher Johnson, Caleb Newell, Wyatt Pugh, Zane Weeks
West Alabama (4): Dedric Hicks*, Landon Laphand, Jaxson Lovelace, Gary Mata

* selected to advance to the CSC Academic All-America national ballot