NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its 2025-26 All-Academic Awards, recognizing both the Milwaukee men's and women's track & field teams along with three Panthers for their success in the classroom and in competition.
 
Milwaukee earned team recognition on both the men's and women's sides, while Natalie Block, Anna Szepieniec and Olivia VanZeeland received individual recognition as USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes.
 
To earn team recognition, programs must have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale, including the most recent grading period.
 
The Milwaukee women's track & field team posted a 3.630 cumulative GPA during the 2025-26 academic year. The Panthers were one of 247 NCAA Division I programs to earn team recognition and tied for second among Horizon League institutions.
 
The men's track & field team finished with a 3.420 cumulative GPA, earning recognition as one of 204 NCAA Division I programs. Milwaukee tied for the highest GPA among the conference's eight recognized Horizon League men's programs.
 
To earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete honors, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.00 scale, including the most recent grading period. Indoor qualifiers must finish the season ranked among the nation's top 96 in an individual championship event or top 48 in a relay, while outdoor honorees must compete in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships or, for multi-event athletes, finish the season ranked among the top 48 in their respective region.
 
Milwaukee's three individual honorees were the most of any Horizon League women's track & field program. Youngstown State earned two selections, while Oakland had one.
 
Block, studying biomedical science, carries a 3.889 cumulative GPA. She capped her final outdoor season by qualifying for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in the 400m hurdles after setting a new Milwaukee school record in the event. Block also owns the program records in the indoor 300m dash, 400m dash and 60m hurdles, as well as the outdoor 100m hurdles.
 
Szepieniec, a rising senior majoring in kinesiology, owns a 3.749 cumulative GPA. She was named the Alfreeda Goff Track & Field Athlete of the Year during both the indoor and outdoor seasons and earned Outstanding Field Performer honors at the Horizon League Indoor Championships. During the indoor campaign, Szepieniec won conference titles in the long jump, triple jump and pentathlon while placing second in the 60m hurdles, setting Milwaukee program records in both the long jump and pentathlon. Outdoors, she captured the Horizon League title in the triple jump, finished runner-up in the long jump, 100m hurdles and heptathlon, and established a new school record in the long jump before qualifying for the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
 
VanZeeland, a kinesiology major, maintains a 3.931 cumulative GPA. She won the Horizon League indoor championship in the high jump before placing second outdoors. VanZeeland owns Milwaukee's outdoor high jump record and ranks second in program history indoors.