NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On Wednesday, College Sports Communicators released its at-large academic all-district team, naming seven student-athletes from the Vanderbilt cross country and track and field programs.
Max Beck, Joslin Blair, Kaira Brown, Caroline Eck, Madison Fuller, Philip Metcalf and Jada Sims were among those honored.
In order to be nominated for academic all-district honors, student-athletes must compete in at least 50 percent of scheduled competitions, maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and hold at least sophomore standing academically and athletically. Each individual is now eligible to be voted Academic All-America®.
Beck earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and chemical biology this month. He was nominated as Vanderbilt’s 2022-23 SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year and has been recognized on the SEC’s Fall Academic Honor Roll three times. The Tenafly, New Jersey, native has competed at a total of two SEC Cross Country Championships, recording a personal-best time in 2022 (28:14.1).
Blair of Eagle, Colorado, is a rising senior double majoring in medicine, health and society and psychology. At the 2022 SEC Cross Country Championships, she finished 102nd overall with a personal-best time of 21:59.6. At the 2023 Pepsi Florida Relays, Blair came in ninth place in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:34.12. She has been named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll each of the last two seasons and the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll in 2022. In 2020-21, Blair was a member of the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
A 2022-23 Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports-Scholar of the Year finalist and Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Brown graduated in May with a double major in public policy and Latino and Latina studies. She qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 4×400-meter relay in 2022 and has competed at the NCAA East Regionals three times (2021-23). This indoor track and field season, Brown earned a bronze medal in the 4×400-meter relay (3:33.23) at the SEC Championships and second-team All-SEC honors. A native of Somerset, New Jersey, she is also a two-time member of the USTFCCCA All-Academic team (2021, 2022), a two-time member of the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll (2021, 2022) and was named to the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2019-20.
Eck, from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, graduated in May with a degree in human and organizational development. She qualified for the 2023 NCAA East Regional in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:12.14 that earned eighth place at the Mt. SAC Relays. Eck finished second among Vandy’s runners and 39th overall at the 2022 SEC Cross Country Championships. She has been named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor roll each of the last three seasons, SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll the last two seasons and was a member of the 2019-20 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic team member (2021, 2022) Fuller earned a bachelor’s degree in medicine, health and society. Twice, she has been named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar, receiving third-team recognition in 2023 and fourth-team honors in 2022. This year, the St. Louis, Missouri, native was a member of the 4×100-meter relay (45.66) that finished fifth at the Mt. SAC Relays. Fuller was a national qualifier in the 4×400-meter relay in 2022 and a regional qualifier in 2021 and 2022. Each of the last two seasons, she has been named to the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll and earned a spot on the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2019-20.
Metcalf is a rising junior from Austin, Texas, double majoring in medicine, health and society and psychology. During the 2022 cross country season, he finished first among the Commodores’ competitors in three of five meets. He placed 91st overall (31:58.0) at the 2022 10k South Region cross country championships and was 61st overall (25:07.8) at the 6k SEC Cross Country Championships. Metcalf was named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll in 2022 and was a member of the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2021-22.
Sims is from Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated in May with a double major in political science and African American and Diaspora studies. This outdoor track and field season, she qualified for the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon with a score of 5,638 points that earned a fourth-place finish at the SEC Championships. She was named a 2023 third-team Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports-Scholar and was recognized on the USTFCCCA All-Academic team in 2021. In 2019-20, she earned a spot on the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll and has been named to the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll each of the past two seasons.
Academic All-America honors will be announced for women’s teams June 28. The Academic All-American team for men’s programs will be announced June 29.
