CSC Release

SAINT PETER, Minn. – Five Gustavus cross country/track & field student-athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team on Tuesday, June 24. 

The five Gusties honored were (listed alphabetically) senior thrower Kelley Brennan (Shakopee, Minn.), senior sprinter Kate Carlson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley), senior sprinter and horizontal jumps specialist Megan Geraets (Mankato, Minn./East), senior distance and cross country runner Sydney Hagen (Starbuck, Minn./Minnewaska) and junior distance and cross country runner Molly Liston (Richfield, Minn./The Blake School).

Each institution may nominate up to five male and five female student-athletes for Academic All-District recognition in cross country/track and field. Nominees must be of sophomore status or higher with at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA. 

Athletically, track and field nominees must have an individual event ranked in the top 50 of their region (indoor or outdoor) according to the TFRRS performance list rankings at the time of nomination (June 17) and cross country submissions must finish in the top 50 of their respective NCAA Regional.

Academic All-District awardees selected to move to the national ballot are eligible for Academic All-America distinction, which will be voted on by organization members and announced on Tuesday, July 15 (women) and Wednesday, July 16 (men).

Brennan, the 2025 MIAC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, collects her second CSC honor after graduating with a 3.95 GPA and a degree in health and physical education. Brennan collected three regional top 20 rankings in the outdoor season, two of which made the national TFRRS leaderboard. At the MIAC outdoor meet, Brennan collected a trio of All-Conference performances in three throwing events. Her discus throw of 42.61 meters was good for first overall at the meet, 13th in the region, and 49th in the nation. She took third in the hammer with a toss of 50.70 meters for 12th in the region and 37th in the nation. She was second in the shot put with a mark of 12.95 meters, which finished 17th regionally. In her career, Brennan was a two-time MIAC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, one-time MIAC Champion (discus), seven-time All-Conference performer, and one-time indoor honorable mention honoree. 

Carlson joined Brennan at commencement with a 3.71 GPA and a degree in exercise physiology. The senior sprinter collected six All-MIAC performances in her final collegiate season, four of which landed in the top 15 of regional rankings. She posted a time of 25.07 in the indoor 200-meter which earned her All-Region honors and a place at the national meet where she finished 17th. Carlson was the 60-meter runner-up at MIAC indoors and finished ranked 12th regionally in the event, while her outdoor 200-meter time was ninth and 100-meter 10th. A three-time NCAA championship qualifer, Carlson led the Gusties to a trio of MIAC outdoor titles through her four years. She graduated with a decorated resume that includes a pair of All-America honors, five All-Region selections, five MIAC championships and 19 All-Conference performances. Carlson's Academic All-District honor is the second of her career, and she is expected to earn her third Academic All-MIAC honor later this summer.

From her first outdoor national meet appearance in 2023, Mankato native Geraets has evolved into one of the most decorated athletes in Gustavus track & field history in her junior and senior seasons. A chemistry and chemistry teaching major with a 3.82 GPA, Geraets collects her third Academic All-District honor following her exemplary performance on the track, in the field and in the classroom. Geraets was a six-time All-Region selection in her senior season, finishing in the top three of the 200- and 400-meter dashes and long jump in both the indoor and outdoor season. She was named the 2025 MIAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, becoming just the third Gustie to receive the honor after earning a trio of outdoor championships in her three events. She was a two-time indoor champion in the 200-meter and long jump in her senior season, and was All-MIAC in all six of her specialties. 

In her career, Geraets earned eight All-America awards (one first team, seven second) and was a 15-time USTFCCCA All-Region selection between the indoor and outdoor seasons. She totaled 15 MIAC event championships in her career, was nine times named a MIAC Athlete of the Week, and collected 23 All-MIAC performances in her career. She was the first Gustie to earn Division III National Athlete of the Week honors during the outdoor season and finished as the school record holder in the indoor and outdoor 200-meter, 400-meter and long jump. Beyond athletics, Geraets is now a three-time CSC Academic All-District selection and is expected to earn her third MIAC Academic All-Conference award this summer. She was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society this year, is an eight-time member of the Dean's List, serves as a chemistry tutor on campus and is a member of the Student Educators Association. 

Hagen collects her first Academic All-District honor after graduating with a 3.98 GPA in mathematics and math teaching. The senior distance runner finished 25th in the indoor 5,000-meter regional rankings, 34th in the indoor 3,000-meter and took 32nd at the NCAA North Region Cross Country Championships with a time of 23:05 in the fall. In addition to her All-Region honors, Hagen earned her first cross country All-MIAC award after taking 11th at the fall championships. She graduated with a pair of All-Conference performances, her other a championship as a part of the 4x400-meter outdoor relay in 2022, along with a trio of honorable mention honors. She is expected to garner her third-consecutive Academic All-MIAC award later this summer. 

Liston is also a first-time Academic All-District selection, earning the award with a 3.63 GPA in nursing. The junior distance specialist led the women's cross country team this fall, collecting All-Conference honors with a fifth place finish at the conference meet in the fall. She earned her first All-Region distinction after taking 20th at the NCAA North Region Championships in November. On the track, Liston added five performances in the top 50, including the indoor 5,000-meter (30th) and 3,000-meter, as well as the outdoor 5k (27th), 10k (28th), and 1,500 (49th). In this year's championship events, Liston finished second in the outdoor 10k and fourth in the 5k for All-MIAC and All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors. She enters her final season with one All-Region, two All-Conference, and two honorable mention performances on her resume.

The Gustavus cross country team finished fourth of 12 teams at the 2024 MIAC Championships in November, just nine places behind St. Scholastica and the top three teams, with Liston and Hagen each earning All-Conference honors. The team finished 11th of 31 teams at the NCAA North Regional Championships two weeks later. 

The women's track and field team finished fourth at the MIAC Indoor Championships and advanced Geraets and Carlson to the national indoor meet, where Geraets collected a pair of All-America Second Team honors. In the outdoor season, the Gusties claimed their third MIAC championship in the last four years after collecting 170.5 points – 30 more than second place Concordia – with five individual titles. Geraets earned a spot at the national outdoor meet in three events and concluded her career as an eight-time All-American.