WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Track & Field/Cross Country earned six spots on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Five Boilers on the men’s side, Douglas Buckeridge, Joel Gates, Hugh Jacobsmeyer, Quintin Lowe, Nathan Walker and Nerius White earned a spot, while Britannie Johnson earned a spot on the women’s side.
The Academic All-District Team combined both athletic and academic achievements. Athletes must hold a 3.50 cumulative GPA, place top 50 at their NCAA Cross Country Regional meets, or rank top 50 in their respective region in an event indoors or outdoors.
The seven Boilers that earned CSC Academic All-District have totaled 21 Academic All-Big Ten honors in their careers combined.
During the 2025-26 season, Purdue’s cross country program totaled 15 Academic All-Big Ten selections in the fall, while the track program added another 24 in the spring.
Buckeridge was a Great Lakes All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team honoree during the cross country season. He took seventh at the Big Ten Championships and concluded his season 20th at regionals. During outdoor track, Buckeridge qualified for the NCAA East First Round in the 3000m steeplechase for a second consecutive season and finished 31st after he was 34th the year prior. He holds a 3.80 GPA studying Mathematics and Statistics.
Gates, in his first season as a Boilermaker, qualified for the NCAA East First Round in both the discus and shot put. He earned a personal best in both events during the outdoor season after joining Purdue from Tennessee. He holds a 3.96 GPA studying Biomedical Health Sciences.
Jacobsmeyer put together the best mid-distance campaign in Purdue history after he set both the indoor and outdoor 800m records and set the 1500m record outdoors. He was an NCAA East First Round qualifier in the 800m where he finished 35th. Jacobsmeyer’s 1500m school record came in the Big Ten Championships and earned him a spot in the final of arguably the conference’s most competitive event. He holds a 3.53 GPA studying Civil Engineering.
Lowe was one of 10 semifinalists for the EDU Ledger’s 2026 Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Athlete of the Year that recognizes efforts in competition, classroom and community. He ended the voting as the first runner-up and was named the winner for men’s track & field/cross country. On the track, Lowe helped Purdue finished sixth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in the DMR. He holds a 3.98 GPA studying Environment & Natural Resources Engineering.
Walker concluded his collegiate career as a Great Lakes All-Region and All-Big Ten Second Team honoree in cross country. He added a seventh-place finish in the 10,000m at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and rounded out his final campaign 44th at the NCAA East First Round. He held a 3.60 GPA in graduate school studying Post Baccalaureate after he held a 3.56 GPA during his undergraduate studies.
White had a strong cross country season after he finished 43rd at the Great Lakes Regional. His placement was 35 spots higher than the previous year. During track, White added personal bests in the indoor mile and the outdoor 5000m and 10,000m. He holds a 3.86 GPA studying Kinesiology.
Johnson was one of three Boilermakers on the women’s side to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and she finished as an Honorable Mention All-American in the shot put after she finished 20th. During the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Johnson scored in both the discus and shot put. She recently finished third at the Jamaican National Championships in the shot put on June 20. Johnson holds a 3.53 GPA studying Hospitality & Tourism Management.
The Boilermakers 2025-26 season ended with nine total spots earned in the NCAA Championships, including the men’s team scoring 11 points to finish No. 23 in the country outdoors.
