ST. PAUL, Minn. - Macalester College's Arlo Heitler (Hastings, N.Y./Hastings) and rising sophomore John Ihrke (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) of the men's track & field team were recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as All-Academic Athletes, the organization announced today. Additionally, the Scots were named an All-Academic Team after posting the third-highest grade-point average among Division III programs.

To qualify as an USTFCCCA All-Academic team, the program must register at least a 3.10 cumulative GPA. The Scots finished the season with a team GPA of 3.71, which behind only MIT (3.749) and Colorado College (3.742) among Division III institutions.
 
In order to receive USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete distinction, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher and have either competed in an NCAA indoor or outdoor championship, or finished the regular season ranked in the national top 50 individually or top 35 in a relay.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Heitler has earned All-Academic Athlete status, completing an outstanding career at Macalester. Indoors this year, Heitler was named All-MIAC in the 400 meters and qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, where he finished 12th in the 400 to receive All-American honorable mention. Outdoors, he broke the school record in the 100 and 200 meters and placed third in the 400 at the MIAC Championships for his seventh All-MIAC performance of his career. Also an honorable mention All-American in the 400 outdoors in 2024, Heitler holds six individual school records. He majored in economics at Macalester and made both the Academic All-District and Academic All-MIAC teams three times.

Ihrke made the All-Region teams both indoors and outdoors in the 800 meters. Indoors, he won the MIAC title in the 800 and was named the MIAC Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year. He then broke the school record in the 800 indoors with a time of 1:53.57 at the Wartburg Qualifier on Mar. 8. Outdoors, he posted his best time of the season in the 800 at Hamline's Meet of the UnSaintly on April 30, winning with a time of 1:51.70, which ranks second all-time at Macalester. At the MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 10 at Macalester, Ihrke finished third in the 800 in 1:51.97 and anchored the Scots' 4x400-meter relay team to a third-place finish with a time of 3:18.36 to earn All-MIAC honors in both events.

Click here to view the release from the USTFCCCA.