Trio of Trojans Earn CSC Academic All-American Honors
AUSTIN, Texas – The College Sports Communicators (CSC), formerly known as CoSIDA, has announced its 2023 Men's Cross Country and Track and Field Academic All-American award-winners, honoring 30 student-athletes, with 15 earning first-team honors and 15 garnering second-team accolades.
The Taylor men's track and field program hauled in three CSC Academic All-American awards, with Nate Conkel, Liam Hesting and Sammy Sommers each earning the honor for the first time. All three were named CSC Second-Team All-Americans.
Conkel secured his CSC All-American award with a 3.51 GPA in his film and media production courseload. The junior earned All-American honors at the NAIA Indoor National Championships in the 800-meters with a seventh-place finish. The Hudsonville, Michigan native set the Crossroads League Championships meet record in the 800-meters, with a time of 1:52.33. Conkel also made it to the finals of the 800-meters at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships and placed ninth.
Hesting claimed the honor by earning a 3.62 grade-point average while studying philosophy. The senior competed in the hammer throw and discus at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships, placing 17th in the discus. Hesting set a program record in the hammer throw earlier this season with a toss of 56.94 meters. The Columbia City, Indiana native competed in the weight throw at the NAIA Indoor National Championships, placing 15th in the event. Hesting set the Taylor program record in the weight throw with a mark of 18.33 meters.
Sommers earned the accolade with a sterling 3.91 GPA in his exercise science major. The senior earned All-American honors in the long jump at the NAIA Indoor National Championships with a sixth-place finish. Sommers set program records for the long jump in the indoor and outdoor seasons with leaps of 7.48 and 7.82 meters, respectively. Sommers also competed in the long jump at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships, in which he placed 12th.
Taylor student-athletes have now combined for 133 CSC Academic All-American honors in school history, with 131 of those awards coming since 2010. The Taylor men's cross country and track and field program has now accounted for 18 CSC All-Americans.
The CSC Academic All-American distinction is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements, both in the classroom and on the field. To receive the honor, an athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher on a 4.0 scale, must have achieved sophomore status academically with at least one full year at their current institution, and must have participated in over half of the team's competitions as a key contributor during the current season.
Student-athletes are nominated for the award by their institution's Sports Information Department and voted on by members of CSC.