CSC Release

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's and women's cross country and track and field teams landed eight Titans on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Teams, the organization announced Tuesday, June 18. Five from the women's squad and three from the men's team garnered the honors while senior Lauren Wong (Morton, Ill.-Morton), junior Annalese Chudy (Libertyville, Ill.-Libertyville), and sophomore Adriana Crabtree (Normal, Ill.-University High) will advance to the Academic All-America ballot.

In order to be eligible for CSC Academic All-District, individuals must have a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.50 and rank within the top 50 in their region in a track and field individual event or finish within the top 50 at their respective cross country regional championship. 

In addition to Wong, Chudy, and Crabtree, junior Evelyn Wilson (Geneseo, Ill.-Geneseo) and senior Amanda Wilson (Minooka, Ill.-Minooka) rounded out the five possible honorees for Academic All-District distinction on the women's side.

Wong, a quantitative finance major with a 3.68 GPA is a repeat honoree, having garnered Academic All-District in 2023. She was also recognized as a United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Athlete in 2021 and 2023. Wong was a 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field qualifier and was named a USTFCCCA All-Region selection in the triple jump, a 10x All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin honoree in the triple and long jump events that includes a sweep of the horizontal jumps titles in 2023, Wong finished out her senior season ranked sixth in the Midwest for the triple jump indoors (11.72m, 38'5.5") and was 11th in the region outdoors (11.28m, 37'0.25"). She also ranked 25th regionally in the indoor long jump (5.33m, 17'6") and 42nd outdoors (5.15m, 16'10.75").

A junior neuroscience major, Chudy boasts a 3.85 GPA to bring in her second CSC Academic All-District honor following a standout junior season in both cross country and track and field. Chudy kicked off the 2023-24 academic year as the only Titan on the women's side to qualify for back-to-back cross country NCAA Championships. Chudy's qualifying bid came after a 25th-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships and a first team all-conference performance at the CCIW Cross Country Championships. The junior then went on to post three regionally ranked marks for indoor track and field: 25th in the 5,000m (18:16.45), 36th in the 3,000m (10:41.87), and 43rd in the mile (5:18.04). Chudy's highest regional rank was in the 10,000m outdoors where she posted a 36:36.18 to sit ninth in the midwest and is the seventh-fastest time by a Titan in program history. Chudy also ranked 31st in the 5,000m outdoors (18:11.37).

Crabtree, a sophomore environmental studies major with a concentration in ecology maintained a 3.87 GPA in her sophomore year while raking in athletic awards in cross country and track and field. Crabtree qualified for the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships after finishing 21st at the Midwest Regional Championship. The sophomore was the individual champion at the 2023 CCIW Cross Country Championship race and was named the Women's CCIW Student-Athlete of the Meet. Carrying the momentum into the indoor track and field season, Crabtree earned the triple crown at the conference championships as she won the mile (5:10.97), the 3,000m (10:16.14), and was a part of the winning distance medley relay (12:29.57). The sophomore held regional rankings of eighth in the mile, 11th in the 3,000m, and sixth in the DMR. She qualified for the 2024 Indoor National Championship in the mile where she finished 13th overall and earned Second Team All-America honors. Crabtree and Chudy were both named USTFCCCA All-Academic Student-Athletes after the 2023 cross country season.

Evelyn Wilson picked up Academic All-District honors for the second time in her career after turning in a 3.97 GPA as a marketing major. The Geneseo, Ill. native was a runner-up finisher in the high jump at the CCIW Outdoor Championships this season after clearing a personal-best bar of 1.59m (5'2.5") to rank 17th in the Midwest. Additionally, she earned All-CCIW honors at the indoor conference meet after finishing seventh in the high jump. 

A senior secondary education and biology major, Amanda Wilson earns her first Academic All-District honor owning a 3.56 GPA to cap off her collegiate career. She turned in a fourth-place finish in the 10,000-meter run at the conference's outdoor championship meet to earn All-CCIW honors and her career-best time of 37:09.89 ranked 13th in the Midwest while sitting eighth on IWU's all-time top-10 list. The Minooka, Ill. native also ranked 37th regionally in both the indoor and outdoor 5,000m runs.

On the men's side, juniors Brooks Johnson (Elburn, Ill.-Kaneland), CJ Ladewig (Palos Heights, Ill.-Stagg), and Matthew Wagner (Normal, Ill.-Central Catholic) earn CSC Academic All-District honors for the first time in each of their careers. 

Johnson, an accounting major, turned in a 3.68 GPA while ranking 40th in the Midwest region for the men's long jump indoors. Johnson turned in All-CCIW honors with a season-best performance of 6.52 meters (21'4.75") at the 2024 indoor conference championship meet where he finished eighth. The honor marks the second straight season Johnson has earned the distinction. 

Ladewig, a business and finance major, had a breakthrough junior season while boasting a 3.92 GPA. The junior finished the season ranked 19th in the Midwest region in the hammer throw after posting a career-best mark of 51.42m (168'8") at the Huntsman Family Invite, April 6, where he picked up his first collegiate win in the event. The toss bettered his previous personal-best by over 10 meters and is the fourth-furthest by a Titan all-time. Ladewig finished seventh in the hammer throw at the outdoor conference championship to earn All-CCIW honors. The junior also finished the indoor season ranked 24th in the region for the weight throw (16.34m, 53'7.5").

Wagner is a business major holding a 3.59 GPA while excelling in the shot put in both indoor and outdoor seasons. Separating his indoor and outdoor personal-bests by only a centimeter, Wagner's 14.05m (46'1.25") throw indoors was good for 29th in the region while his 14.06m (46'1.50") that he achieved at the 2024 CCIW Outdoor Championships finished out the season ranked 27th regionally. Wagner swept All-CCIW honors for the indoor and outdoor conference championships. Prior to his junior season, Wagner's best toss was a 13.54m (44'5.25") effort, measuring at a near two-foot improvement in just one year. Wagner also just met the criteria in the weight throw as the junior ranked 50th in the event indoors (14.38m, 47'2.25").

Wong, Chudy, and Crabtree will advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. The 2024 women's track and field CSC Academic All-America honorees will be announced Tuesday, July 9.