NEW ORLEANS—Another round of academic plaudits has been announced for Villanova track & field student-athletes who excelled both in competition and in the classroom during the 2024 indoor and outdoor seasons. The reveal of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) academic honors on Monday afternoon included the Wildcats men's and women's teams as All-Academic Teams and a total of 11 student-athletes as All-Academic Athletes. The list was highlighted by three student-athletes who competed for Villanova at the NCAA Championships to close out the 2024 collegiate season.
 
Six men's track & field student-athletes earned USTFCCCA academic honors: senior Nick Coffey (Cranston, R.I.); fifth year Sean Dolan (Ewing, N.J.); senior Andrew Grinnell (New Milford, Conn.); sixth year Charlie O'Donovan (Cork, Ireland); fifth year Xian Shively (Glendale, Calif.); and freshman Dan Watcke (Hinsdale, Ill.).
 
On the women's side, the five Wildcats earning academic honors included senior Roschell Clayton (Montego Bay, Jamaica); freshman Malaika Cunningham (St. Andrew, Jamaica); fifth year Jane Livingston (Lancaster, Pa.); fifth year Madison Martinez (Gahanna, Ohio); and fifth year Adria Retter (Quakertown, Pa.).
 
Nine of the 11 total honorees from Villanova advanced at least as far as the NCAA East Preliminary meet outdoors or were ranked among the top athletes in their event(s) during the indoor track & field season.
 
In addition to having a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale, student-athletes must meet at least one of two athletic criteria. For the indoor season they must have finished the season ranked in the top 96 nationally in any championship individual event or the top 48 in any championship relay event. For the outdoor season, they must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships (the Preliminary Championship Competition and/or the Final Championship Competition) or for the multi-events must have finished in the top 48 in the East or top 48 in the West based on the final descending order list of the season.
 
Six of the Wildcats who were named all-academic athletes achieved the honor for at least the third time in their careers. Leading the way are Dolan and Martinez who have each garnered a spot on the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team for four consecutive years. Coffey, Grinnell and Livingston all were named to the All-Academic Team for the third time, while O'Donovan and Retter are two-time selections.