WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Track & Field earned 16 total USTFCCCA All-Academic selections, 12 men’s and four women’s, while both men’s and women’s programs earned all-academic as a team.
To qualify for the all-academic list, individuals must hold a minimum of 3.25 GPA and rank top 96 individually, or top 48 in a relay, during the indoor season or qualify for the NCAA East or West First Round, top 48 individually or top 24 relay, during the outdoor season. To earn team all-academic, the programs must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.
Purdue’s men’s program held a 3.23 GPA, while the women’s program held a 3.19.
Quintin Lowe, holding a 3.98 GPA while studying Environment & National Resources Engineering, and Joel Gates, holding a 3.96 GPA studying Kinesiology, let Purdue’s selections on the academic side. Both are set to take on a prominent role in Purdue’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee with Lowe as the president of the E-Board and Gates as the engagement.
Six Boilermakers on the all-academic list qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while Samuel Vessat added a qualification at the NCAA Indoor Championships. On his way to three First Team All-American honors in the 400m and 4x400m this season, Vessat maintained a 3.46 GPA studying Sociology. Other First Team All-Americans on the list this season included Victory Achakpoekri (4x400m) and Praise Aniamaka (triple jump).
Britannie Johnson (shot put) and Chidozie Kalu (triple jump) were both Honorable Mention All-American’s, while Zach Myelenek served as the NCAA’s 4x400m alternate after he was a Big Ten silver medalist in the event during both indoor and outdoor.
Half of the Boilers’ all-academic selections maintained at least a 3.50 GPA.
After a strong 2025-26 season, Purdue is set to return all 10 of its NCAA Championships qualifiers with eligibility remaining that includes all members of the 4x400m that finished fourth at the outdoor meet.
The program now looks ahead to the 2026-27 season beginning with cross country at the end of August.
Purdue Men’s USTFCCCA All-Academic
Victory Achakpoekri | 3.28 | Kinesiology
Praise Aniamaka | 3.29 | Business Analytics & Information Management
Douglas Buckeridge | 3.80 | Mathematics/Statistics
Joel Gates | 3.96 | Kinesiology
Hugh Jacobsmeyer | 3.53 | Civil & Construction Engineering
Chidozie Kalu | 3.49 | Human Services
Quintin Lowe | 3.98 | Environment & National Resources Engineering
Leo Maxwell | 3.38 | Accounting
Zach Myelenek | 3.51 | Mechanical Engineering Technology
Elliot Ryba | 3.47 | Aero & Astro Engineering
Samuel Vessat | 3.46 | Sociology
Nathan Walker | 3.60 | Mathematics Education
Purdue Women’s USTFCCCA All-Academic
Britannia Johnson | 3.49 | Hospitality & Tourism Management
Britannie Johnson | 3.52 | Hospitality & Tourism Management
Leena Pfister | 3.69 | Exploratory Studies
Caliyah Wallace | 3.40 | Kinesiology
