GREENWOOD, Ind.—Graduate middle distance runner Lizzie Martell (Essex Junction, Vt.) earned top academic honors on Wednesday afternoon when she was named a third team Academic All-American for the 2025-26 academic year. Martell is the first women's student-athlete from Villanova since 2017 to earn this distinction, with the prestigious recognition coming on the heels of her being an indoor All-American in the 800 meters earlier this year. The 2025-26 Academic All-America® women's track and field/cross country teams were selected by College Sports Communicators in Division I, II, III and NAIA.
 
Martell attended graduate school at Villanova to earn her Master's degree in Political Science. She has been a standout academically in her two years on the women's track & field team, including being named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll in all four of her semesters on campus. Martell is a two-time selection to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team in track & field, an honor which requires excellence in the classroom as well as appearing on the national descending order lists in an individual or relay event during the indoor or outdoor track & field seasons. Martell was also named to the 2024-25 BIG EAST All-Academic Team and will garner the same recognition this year when the 2025-26 conference academic honors are revealed.
 
During this year's indoor track & field season, Martell was part of school record performances on consecutive days in February at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. She ran the 800 meter leg of the distance medley relay on a Friday night as the Wildcats set an indoor school record of 10:49.98 in the relay. Martell had a split of 2:01.7 over 800 meters in that race, then came back the next afternoon and ran 2:01.70 in the open 800 meters to break Villanova's indoor mark in that event as well. She is the Wildcats sixth women's track & field student-athlete to break 2:02 in the 800 meters during her collegiate career, and the first to ever do it indoors. The program's now former indoor mark was 2:02.46 held by Siofra Cleirigh Buttner since the 2018 indoor NCAA Championships.
 
Martell qualified for this year's indoor national meet and earned second team All-America honors with a top 16 national finish. Her accomplishments for the indoor season included running the No. 3 time in program history in the 500 meters at 1:11.19 in Philadelphia in January and a personal best time of 2:46.70 in the 1000 meters in her season opener in December. Martell's split of 2:01.7 on the record-setting distance medley relay is the third-fastest known 800 meter relay split in school history. During her first year at Villanova in 2024-25, Martell was an outdoor All-BIG EAST performer in both the 800 meters and the 4x400 meter relay.
 
Martell came to the Wildcats after competing at the University of New Hampshire earlier in her collegiate career. She earned her undergraduate degree in Justice Studies and Psychology while winning four America East conference titles and twice qualifying for the NCAA East Preliminary meet in the 800 meters. Martell won an individual America East title in the 800 meters and anchored three conference champion 4x800 meter relay squads.
 
Villanova has had 58 individuals receive Academic All-America recognition a total of 77 times from Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC), previously the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), dating back to the 1972-73 academic year and continuing through the 2025-26 academic year. Villanova has had three student-athletes be named the overall Academic All-American of the Year and has one inductee to the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
 
Academic All-American is a title reserved for college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 44,000+ Academic All-Americans includes major sports stars and some of the world's most accomplished individuals in medicine, business, science and the arts. Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC), Academic All-America is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions.

Teams are announced year-round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities, and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope. Nominating and voting for Academic All-America® is an exclusive right of College Sports Communicators members.