Seven UT Track Athletes Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors
June 21, 2024 | Track & Field, Tennessee Tailored
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The College Sports Communicators announced this week that a program-record seven Tennessee track & field athletes were named to the 2024 CSC Academic All-District Team. Ashley Jones, Sarah Schmitt, Javonya Valcourt, Brianna White, Jacob Lewis, Evan Puckett and Gabriel Sanchez were recognized for their combined performances on the track and in the classroom.
To be nominated for track & field/cross country Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must have reached at least sophomore academic standing, attained at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and ranked top 50 in the region in an individual event during the 2023-24 season.
Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced July 9 (women) and July 10 (men).
Jones made an immediate impact in her first season with the Lady Vols, finishing as UT's top runner at all three postseason cross country meets and logging top-10 program marks in the indoor 5k (16:01.80), outdoor 5k (15:58.77) and outdoor 10k (33:34.96) during the 2023-24 track & field campaign. The Castles Pines, Colorado, native earned her bachelor's degree from UT in kinesiology this past spring.
Schmitt enjoyed her most successful collegiate season in 2024, earning a silver medal in the pole vault at the SEC Indoor Championships before breaking the program's outdoor school record with a clearance of 4.33 meters (14-2.5) at the Clark Wood Open. The Midlothian, Virginia, native closed out her junior season as a second team All-American with her 13th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June. Schmitt is a double major in economics and finance and was recognized earlier this year with the Chuck Rohe Leadership Award.
Valcourt's sophomore campaign was marked by school records, championship performances and three All-America certificates in 2024. The Nassau, Bahamas, product lowered her 400-meter personal-best to 51.15 – ranking third in UT history – and she ran the opening leg on UT's school record outings in the indoor (3:29.79) and outdoor (3:23.32) 4x400-meter relays at the NCAA Championships. She also helped the Lady Vols win their first SEC outdoor 4x400-meter relay title since 1987 and finished 16th in the 400-meter dash at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
White had a breakout senior season in her debut campaign with the Lady Vols, earning first team All-America status in the outdoor 400-meter and anchoring UT's 4x400-meter to school record marks during the indoor and outdoor seasons. The Brooklyn, New York, native lowered her personal-best in the 400-meter dash to 50.64 seconds, ranking second on the program's all-time charts.
Lewis rounded out his six-year collegiate career with his best complete campaign in 2023-24. A reliable scorer on the cross country course, he posted a 19th-place finish at the SEC Championships before leading the Vols with his 90th-place finish at the NCAA Championships this past fall. On the track, Lewis became the second Vol to ever break four minutes in the indoor mile with a mark of 3:59.83, while his outdoor 5k PR of 13:50.75 ranks 10th on the program's toplist. The Anthem, Arizona, native earned SEC Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year honors during the indoor season.
Puckett's first season with the Vols was cut short due to injury, but not before the Gallatin native soared over a lifetime-best 5.33 meters (17-5.75) to win his Tennessee pole vault debut at the UCF Black & Gold Invitational on March 15. The junior is majoring in communication studies after joining the Tennessee squad as a transfer from Memphis this past spring.
Sanchez shined in his first year on the Tennessee distance roster, earning All-SEC and All-Region honors on the cross country course last fall before establishing new personal records in the indoor 3k, indoor 5k and outdoor 5k on the track in 2024. His times of 7:54.36 and 13:55.46 at the 3,000- and 5,000-meter distances rank third and sixth, respectively, in Tennessee history on the indoor oval. The Lowell, Indiana, native is a senior marketing major in the Haslam School of Business.
Tennessee's seven Academic All-District recipients tie the program record set last season. Schmitt is UT's lone repeat honoree after also being recognized in 2023.
To be nominated for track & field/cross country Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must have reached at least sophomore academic standing, attained at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and ranked top 50 in the region in an individual event during the 2023-24 season.
Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced July 9 (women) and July 10 (men).
Jones made an immediate impact in her first season with the Lady Vols, finishing as UT's top runner at all three postseason cross country meets and logging top-10 program marks in the indoor 5k (16:01.80), outdoor 5k (15:58.77) and outdoor 10k (33:34.96) during the 2023-24 track & field campaign. The Castles Pines, Colorado, native earned her bachelor's degree from UT in kinesiology this past spring.
Schmitt enjoyed her most successful collegiate season in 2024, earning a silver medal in the pole vault at the SEC Indoor Championships before breaking the program's outdoor school record with a clearance of 4.33 meters (14-2.5) at the Clark Wood Open. The Midlothian, Virginia, native closed out her junior season as a second team All-American with her 13th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June. Schmitt is a double major in economics and finance and was recognized earlier this year with the Chuck Rohe Leadership Award.
Valcourt's sophomore campaign was marked by school records, championship performances and three All-America certificates in 2024. The Nassau, Bahamas, product lowered her 400-meter personal-best to 51.15 – ranking third in UT history – and she ran the opening leg on UT's school record outings in the indoor (3:29.79) and outdoor (3:23.32) 4x400-meter relays at the NCAA Championships. She also helped the Lady Vols win their first SEC outdoor 4x400-meter relay title since 1987 and finished 16th in the 400-meter dash at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
White had a breakout senior season in her debut campaign with the Lady Vols, earning first team All-America status in the outdoor 400-meter and anchoring UT's 4x400-meter to school record marks during the indoor and outdoor seasons. The Brooklyn, New York, native lowered her personal-best in the 400-meter dash to 50.64 seconds, ranking second on the program's all-time charts.
Lewis rounded out his six-year collegiate career with his best complete campaign in 2023-24. A reliable scorer on the cross country course, he posted a 19th-place finish at the SEC Championships before leading the Vols with his 90th-place finish at the NCAA Championships this past fall. On the track, Lewis became the second Vol to ever break four minutes in the indoor mile with a mark of 3:59.83, while his outdoor 5k PR of 13:50.75 ranks 10th on the program's toplist. The Anthem, Arizona, native earned SEC Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year honors during the indoor season.
Puckett's first season with the Vols was cut short due to injury, but not before the Gallatin native soared over a lifetime-best 5.33 meters (17-5.75) to win his Tennessee pole vault debut at the UCF Black & Gold Invitational on March 15. The junior is majoring in communication studies after joining the Tennessee squad as a transfer from Memphis this past spring.
Sanchez shined in his first year on the Tennessee distance roster, earning All-SEC and All-Region honors on the cross country course last fall before establishing new personal records in the indoor 3k, indoor 5k and outdoor 5k on the track in 2024. His times of 7:54.36 and 13:55.46 at the 3,000- and 5,000-meter distances rank third and sixth, respectively, in Tennessee history on the indoor oval. The Lowell, Indiana, native is a senior marketing major in the Haslam School of Business.
Tennessee's seven Academic All-District recipients tie the program record set last season. Schmitt is UT's lone repeat honoree after also being recognized in 2023.
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