Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302
 
June 23, 2026 – The North Central College men's cross country and track and field teams saw six student-athletes on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District list for their combined achievements in the classroom and in athletics. Oscar Frontjes, Ben Balboa, Alexander Knight, BJ Sorg, Ari Elmayan, and Kevin Fist each earned the distinction.
 
Frontjes, a physics major, earns his first All-District award following a sophomore campaign where he also earned All-America honors with a 32nd-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Frontjes earned First Team All-CCIW in cross country after placing fifth at the CCIW Championships and was All-Region with a 16th-place finish at NCAA Division III Cross Country Midwest Regionals.
 
Balboa, a health science major, claims his second All-District nod following a breakout junior campaign. Balboa set a new school record of 54.09m (177'5"), earning his first bid to the NCAA Championships. He earned four All-CCIW honors this season in the discus, hammer, and indoor and outdoor shot put.
 
Knight, an exercise science major, claims his first All-District award after a season that saw him claim four all-conference selections, including a CCIW title in the 4-by-100m relay. Knight finished third in the 60m dash indoors and added a fourth-place finish in the 100m and an eighth-place finish in the 200m outdoors, helping North Central to a pair of CCIW team titles.
 
BJ Sorg, environmental studies major, earns his second All-District selection after an academic year that saw him sweep the cross country, indoor and outdoor CCIW Elite 26 Awards, presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average competing at the CCIW Championship meet. Sorg earned All-America honors with a 30th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the fall before claiming USTFCCCA Second Team honors in the indoor track season with an 11th place finish in the 5,000m. Sorg claimed CCIW Indoor Championship titles in the indoor mile and the DMR and finished runner-up in the 10,000m outdoors.
 
Ari Elmayan, a communication studies major, earns All-District accolades after excelling in both the classroom and in cross country and track and field. Elmayan was a First Team All-CCIW honoree in cross country after placing sixth at the conference meet before running on North Central's NCAA Midwest regional and national squads. In track and field, Elmayan was All-CCIW in the indoor 3,000m as the conference's runner-up in addition to placing third at the outdoor championships in the 5,000m.
 
Fist is a social science-history major who earns his first All-District nod after claiming a pair of All-CCIW awards in the triple jump. Fist placed third at the outdoor CCIW Championships in the event after finishing seventh at the indoor conference meet.
 
Frontjes and Sorg advanced to the Academic All-America ballot, with honorees set to be announced on Wednesday, July 15.