Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302
 
USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals
USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams

July 21, 2025 – Showcasing its academic and athletic excellence, North Central College men's track and field has been awarded by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) with eight student-athletes earning All-Academic honors in addition to the team notching All-Academic Team status.
 
To qualify for the individual All-Academic award, student-athletes must have compiled a grade point average of 3.30 and have qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships or finish the season ranked in the national top 50 in an individual event or the top 35 in a relay event. 
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Connor Riss earns All-Academic distinction for the fifth time in his track and field career, while Braden Nicholson is a four time honoree and Jayden Leise and Matt Jett are two-time selections. Ben Balboa, Oscar Frontjes, BJ Sorg, and Anthony Zajac each make the list for the first time.
 
North Central was recognized as an All-Academic Teams after posting a 3.24 cumulative GPA. It is the team's 10th honor in the last 11 seasons.
 
Riss, who is working on a master's degree in organizational leadership, earned All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin honors in the indoor mile and the outdoor 5,000-meter run. Riss also qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in the 5,000m. Riss finished the indoor season ranked sixth in program history in the mile (4:10.52) and seventh in the 5,000m (14:18.98).
 
Nicholson, who graduate with a degree in marketing last spring, started working towards a master of business administration (MBA) degree in fall 2024. He capped off the year with two national titles, the first in the 3,000-meter run at the Division III Indoor Championships and again in the 10,000-meter run at the outdoor championships. Nicholson also earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish in the 5,000m. He won CCIW titles in the indoor 3,000-meter run, and swept outdoor titles in the 1,500m and 5,000m. In the record books this season, he owns the second-fastest time in program history in the indoor 3,000m (8:07.30) and moved into the No. 5 spot in the 10,000m (29:18.44).
 
A sophomore marketing major, Leise won the triple jump at the CCIW Indoor and Outdoor Championships and earned All-CCIW distinction in the long jump. He qualified for both indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in the triple jump and claimed USTFCCCA Second Team All-American honors indoors. Leise ranks third in program history in the indoor triple jump (47'10.50") and sits sixth outdoors (48'4.50").
 
Sorg (environmental science) earned All-CCIW honors with third place finishes in both the indoor 3,000m and the outdoor 5,000m. Sorg qualified for the Division III Outdoor Championships in the 10,000m where he finished 12th overall, good for USTFCCCA Second Team All-American honors. Additionally, Sorg cracked into the record books at No. 10 in the 10,000m (29:47.26).
 
The school record holder in the hammer throw (193'7") and an exercise science major, Zajac earns All-Academic distinction for the first time. Zajac also owns the second-best weight throw (58'9"), and earned All-CCIW honors in both events as well as the discus throw and indoor and outdoor shot put events. Zajac qualified for his first NCAA championship this outdoor season in the hammer throw, finishing 19th overall.
 
Balboa, a health science major, won the CCIW titles in the indoor shot put and outdoor discus throw. He also earned All-CCIW honors in the outdoor shot put. Balboa sits No. 4 in program history in the indoor shot put (53'8.50").
 
Frontjes, a physics major wo the 5,000m at the CCIW Indoor Championships and earned All-CCIW honors at the CCIW Outdoor Championships. Jett, who is working towards his master's in sports leadership degree, was this season's CCIW 10,000m champion.
 
North Central led all CCIW schools with eight honorees. In total, the CCIW had 24 representatives on the All-Academic list.
 
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