McManus, Preisser, Erickson, Rowland, and Baranov tabbed for Academic All-District Team

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Five members of the Carleton College women’s cross country and track & field programs were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for 2024-25.
 
Sophie McManus ’25 was selected for the Academic All-District Team for the third straight year, while Hannah Preisser ’26 collected her second consecutive honor. Lara Erickson ’25 and Libby Rowland ’25 were recognized for the first time, while Stephanie Baranov ’26 took home her first track academic award after securing Academic All-District recognition for swimming this winter.
 

To be nominated for the Academic All-District Team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50; must be at least a sophomore in academic and athletic standing; and must have turned in a top-50 individual performance in the region (for cross country, this would be at the regional meet, for track & field, this would be based off of TFRRS performance list rankings for the region.)
 

McManus, a biology and mathematics double major, is a seven-time qualifier for Nationals. She was raced at the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the fourth consecutive year and capped her collegiate career by qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 3000-meter steeplechase, where she finished 17th. This year she ranked among the North Region’s top-10 in six events: outdoor steeplechase (third at 10:45.19), cross country 6K (sixth at 22:14.6), outdoor 1500-meter run (sixth at 4:39.91), indoor 5000-meter run (seventh at 17:31.22), outdoor 5000-meter run (seventh at 17:15.17), and indoor 3000-meter run (eighth at 9:59.92). McManus also ranked inside the region’s top-50 for the indoor mile (11th at 5:05.93) and indoor 800-meter (46th at 2:23.60) races. She has earned All-Region status six times over her career to go along with 11 career All-MIAC Awards — including conference crowns this year in the indoor mile and outdoor steeplechase — and all-conference honorable mention four other times.
 

Preisser, also a mathematics major, got her year started with victories at five cross country races, including the MIAC Championships and the NCAA North Region Championships. She then finished seventh at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, earning her third career All-America Award. A seven-time qualifier for Nationals, she also collected All-America recognition with her eighth-place result in the 5000-meter run at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. She did not compete during the outdoor track season as she was participating in an off-campus study program. Preisser has accumulated nine career All-Region awards, including her victory at cross country regionals and third-place rankings at the indoor 3000-meter (9:54.60) and 5000-meter (17:00.01) distances after winning both events at the MIAC Indoor Championships. She has earned some level of all-conference recognition 13 times in her career, including three conference titles this year.
 
Erickson, an environmental studies and history double major, ranked within the region’s top-50 four times this year. She was eighth at the outdoor 800-meter distance (2:13.13), 16th for the indoor 800 (2:18.42), and 33rd for the outdoor 1500-meter (4:48.47) events. She also ran on Carleton’s 4×400-meter relay that ranked 22nd (4:10.26) in the region. She collected four All-MIAC awards this year, including a runner-up finish in the indoor 1000-meter race as well as third-place showings in the indoor and outdoor 800-meter events and the 4×800-meter relay. Erickson has earned all-conference status seven times during her career plus another seven all-conference honorable mention accolades.
 
Rowland, an economics and environmental studies double major, was top-50 in the region in five events this year. She ranked 12th in the outdoor steeplechase (11:15.66), 18th in the indoor mile (5:11.27), 26th for the indoor 3000-meter (10:28.48), and 50th in the outdoor 400-meter hurdles (1:09.86) in addition to competing on Carleton’s distance medley relay that ranked second in the region at 12:31.06. Rowland has earned All-MIAC status 11 times during her career (two this year) and collected All-Conference Honorable Mention another four times, including three times during the 2024-25 academic year.
 

Baranov, a history and political science & international relations double major, is the rare student-athlete to secure Academic All-District recognition in two unrelated sports during the same academic year. She competed in the heptathlon for the first time and ended up ranking 45th in the region (3,180 points) to earn her spot on the Academic All-District list. She also raced on Carleton’s regionally-ranked 4×100-meter (51.94) and 4×400-meter (4:10.26) relays.
 
McManus and Preisser were selected to advance to the national ballot with first-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees to be announced July 15, 2025.