On Thursday, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its NCAA Division III Cross Country All-Academic Teams, listing Southwestern University among the 137 programs to receive All-Academic Team honors. 

Southwestern posted the sixth-highest GPA in the nation with a 3.706, representing the highest GPA among Division III cross country teams in Texas and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

"I'm so proud of our guys for their efforts in the fall, not only on the course but in the classroom as well. They made it a goal to have the highest GPA in the department this year, and they had a first semester to back it up," Southwestern head cross country coach Steven Cary says. "They didn't just have the highest at Southwestern, but the sixth-best in all of DIII for men's cross country. Juggling all they have going on in their lives, earning All-Academic team honors is a huge accomplishment. Again, I'm an extremely proud coach right now."

Overall, there were 137 programs that were named All-Academic Teams for their efforts during the 2021 season. No program had a better cumulative GPA than Stevens Institute of Technology at 3.798.

In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.1 on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, among other qualifiers.