Pair of Top National Awards by Higginbotham Lead Scholar Lists from USTFCCCA

Oskaloosa--Paced by Koby Higginbotham (Fr., Knoxville, Iowa, Exercise Science), members of the William Penn track and field teams, as well as the teams themselves, were rewarded for excellence in the classroom as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its 2025-2026 academic awards Monday.

Four Statesmen claimed All-Academic Athlete accolades, headlined by Higginbotham being named the NAIA's Men's Track Scholar Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Higginbotham, who owns a 4.0 Grade Point Average, swept the hurdles national titles, winning the 60-meter crown in March and the 110-meter championship in May.

Andrew Miller (Jr., Le Claire, Iowa, Exercise Science) leads the remaining crew with a 3.96 GPA, while fellow male athletes Frederick Kolla Nguimdo (Jr., Wheaton, Md., Secondary Education) (3.47) and Xzavion West (Sr., Guthrie, Ky., Psychology) (3.41) also met the criteria.

Additionally, both the women's (3.04 GPA) and men's (3.02) teams were lauded as All-Academic Teams.

To be eligible for the individual award, athletes must own a 3.25 cumulative Grade Point Average, meet either the 'A' or 'B' national-qualifying standard in either the indoor or outdoor campaigns, and have attended the nominating institution for at least two semesters.

To be eligible for the team award, programs must have a combined GPA of 3.0 or above.

To view all of the USTFCCCA academic awards, click HERE