Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communications, 630-637-5302
 
USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals
USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams
 
July 20, 2026 - Demonstrating excellence in the classroom and in competition, the North Central College women's track and field program earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team recognition, while 10 Cardinals received USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual honors.

To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual honors, student-athletes must compile a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.30 and either qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships or finish the season ranked among the nation's top 50 in an individual event or top 35 in a relay event.

North Central earned All-Academic Team recognition after posting a cumulative team GPA of 3.51. To be eligible, institutions must be USTFCCCA members and maintain a team GPA of at least 3.10.

Gwen Berenyi and Cali Minkie earned All-Academic honors for the fourth time in their careers, while Alivia Henkel and Ciré Smith received the distinction for the second consecutive year. Julia Kelly, Elianna Keyes, Caroline Kuttner, Dylan Moeller, Kate Schmidthuber, and Isabella Valentin each earned the honor for the first time.

Berenyi, a business management major, earned the recognition after qualifying for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the pole vault. She concluded her senior season by earning USTFCCCA Second Team All-America honors with a 13th-place finish at the outdoor national meet. Berenyi also swept the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) indoor and outdoor pole vault titles.

Henkel, an applied chemistry major, earned her second All-Academic honor after winning the NCAA Division III outdoor national championship in the 400-meter hurdles. She set a school-record time of 58.65 seconds en route to the title and captured CCIW championships in both the 400-meter hurdles and the 4-by-400-meter relay, capping an outstanding sophomore season.

Joining Henkel on the All-Academic list were her 4-by-400-meter relay teammates Minkie, Smith, and Schmidthuber. Minkie, a sociology major, also ranked among the nation's top 50 in the indoor 400 meters and earned seven All-CCIW honors across the indoor and outdoor seasons. Smith, a marketing and sport management major, claimed her second All-Academic honor after earning five All-CCIW accolades, including honors in both the indoor and outdoor 800 meters. Schmidthuber, a freshman neuroscience major, enjoyed an impressive debut season, earning four All-CCIW honors in the 400 meters and 4-by-400-meter relay.

Kelly, a freshman art major, and Keyes, a sophomore psychology major, emerged as a strong triple jump duo for the Cardinals. Both moved into the program's all-time top-10 list in the indoor triple jump. Kelly's season-best mark of 11.59 meters (38'0.25") ranked 26th nationally during the indoor season, while Keyes' best jump of 11.36 meters (37'3.25") ranked 43rd. Kelly earned All-CCIW honors in the indoor triple jump, while Keyes received the distinction during the outdoor season.

Kuttner, an engineering major, earned All-CCIW honors in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault while recording a personal-best clearance of 3.70 meters (12'1.50"), good for a spot in the program's all-time top 10. She also finished the outdoor season ranked 34th nationally.

Moeller, a freshman chemistry major, made an immediate impact by setting five freshman records—three indoors and two outdoors—and establishing a varsity record in the indoor 1,000 meters with a time of 3:01.37. She also moved into the Cardinals' all-time top 10 in four events across the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Valentin, a health science major, finished the season ranked among the nation's top 50 in the heptathlon after winning the CCIW title with 4,376 points. In addition to her conference championship, she earned three more All-CCIW honors across the indoor and outdoor conference meets. Valentin also ranks in the program's all-time top 10 in four events: the heptathlon, pentathlon, 60-meter hurdles, and 100-meter hurdles.