SPOKANE, Wash. – A dozen Whitworth student-athletes were named to the 2025-26 Division III Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Cross Country/Track & Field teams, selected by College Sports Communicators and announced earlier this week.
Whitworth is allowed to nominate up to six men and six women and the Pirates were easily able to fill the full field of nominees. To qualify, a student-athlete must be at least of sophomore standing, have a GPA of 3.5 or better, and must have either competed in 75% of a team's meets or scored points at a team's conference championships.
The six Whitworth men who made the list are: sophomore Tristan Hiller, a javelin thrower and decathlete from Missoula, Montana; sophomore Connor Hylton, a hurdler from Missoula, Montana; senior Jack Ireton, a distance runner from Edmonds, Washington; sophomore Jayce Palm, a jumper and decathlete from Spokane; grad student Cooper Rolfs, a mid-distance runner from Shoreline, Washington; and senior Eddie Vu, a thrower from Walla Walla, Washington.
The six Pirate women on the list are: senior Madison Carr, a thrower from Spokane; junior Devyn Chelin, a thrower from Kennewick, Washington; sophomore Ashlyn Dary, a distance runner from Maple Valley, Washington; Kylie Loveless, a thrower from Helena, Montana; junior Kezlie Thygesen, a distance runner from Allyn, Washington; and junior Brianna Tira, a jumper from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Vu and Carr have advanced as finalists for consideration as 2025-26 Academic All-Americans. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced July 14 (men) and July 15 (women).
The 12 Whitworth representatives on the All-District teams played a major role in the Pirate women' winning the Northwest Conference championship and taking 12th at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Whitworth men were NWC runners-up and finished 18th at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships.
