Holland Reporter

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has announced the All-America honors for the 2024 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field season. The Grand Valley State University track and field program achieved a total of 33 All-America honors at the recent NCAA National Championships.

Athletes who placed within the top eight of their individual events and relays received First-Team All-America honors, while those finishing ninth through sixteenth were awarded Second-Team honors.

Grand Valley's men's team secured 17 All-America accolades, with 15 athletes on the First-Team and two on the Second-Team, marking them as having earned the second most honors this season. The women's team garnered 16 All-America distinctions, with 14 First-Team and two Second-Team placements, ranking third in overall honors among teams.

For the men, both relay teams earned First-Team status after achieving fourth place finishes in both the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) and 4x400m relay events. The DMR team included Patrick Lyell, Myles Rhodes, Scott Spaanstra, and Caleb Futter, completing their race in 9:45.99. The 4x400m relay featured Zach Pray, Ben Ireland, Fallou Gaye, and Myles Rhodes with a time of 3:10.99.

In high jump competitions, all three participating athletes received First-Team recognition by securing first, second, and sixth places respectively. Jaivon Harrison led by winning his first individual Division II National Championship title followed by Jonathan Rankins-James in second place and Eli Kosiba in sixth.

On the women's side, Maria Mitchell, Kate Zang, Taryn Chapko, and Klaudia O'Malley were part of the runner-up DMR squad with a recorded time of 11:22.63 earning them First-Team recognition.

The women's distance group collectively acquired six First-Team accolades across various events including the 800m run to longer distances such as mile races up to five kilometers. Natalie Graber excelled particularly well obtaining awards in both three-kilometer races along with five-kilometer competitions; meanwhile teammates Klaudia O'Malley succeeded notably within one-mile races plus contributing towards successful DMR performances alongside Taryn Chapko who also distinguished herself individually over shorter distances like eight hundred meters running discipline combined effectively during relay contributions too.