- CSC Release

CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M's Blessing Akintoye continues to add to her already impressive resume as the multi-time National Champion has been named the 2025-26 College Sports Communicator's (CSC) Division II Academic All-America Team Member of the Year announced on Wednesday afternoon.
 
A junior from Ogun State, Nigeria, Akintoye was named the Lone Star Conference's Fred Jacoby Academic Athlete of the Year for outdoor track and field in June. Previously, she received the LSC's Academic Athlete of the Year for indoors in 2025 and 2026. A two-time first team Academic All-America® selection, Akintoye holds a 4.00 GPA with her health science major.
 
Akintoye led West Texas A&M to the NCAA Division II outdoor track and field national championship this spring. She won the 400 meters and the 4x400 meter relay titles in Kansas. Akintoye capped her indoor season as the NCAA Division II 400 meters' national champion and the 4x400 meter relay national runner-up. She received LSC indoor and outdoor track and field All-Conference first team laurels this year.
 
Twenty-three of the 45 members of the Academic All-America® Division II women's track and field/cross country teams sport a sterling 4.00 GPA in their undergraduate work or graduate school. The 16 first team members have an average undergraduate GPA of 3.91. The entire 45-member team has an undergraduate GPA of 3.86.
 
Twelve student-athletes, including eight on the first team, are repeat selections on the Academic All-America® Division II women's track and field/cross country teams. Pittsburg State graduate student Blakelee Winn is the only three-time performer on the list. A first team choice this year, Winn made the third team in 2024-25 and the second team in 2023-24.
 
In addition to Winn and Akintoye, the remaining six veterans on the first team include Jadyn Barnes (Northwest Missouri State), Hannah Hartwell (Fort Lewis), Aria Hawkins (Lee), Jadyn Herron (Colorado State Pueblo), Isabelle Peters (Pittsburg State) and Molly Winner (Ashland). Barnes, Hartwell and Herron made the second team last year, while Hawkins, Peters and Winner were third team choices in 2024-25.
 
Four second team Academic All-America® picks are repeat selections. They include Allison Beasley (Western Colorado), Jennifer Cichra (Slippery Rock), Amber Lawless (Wingate) and Annie Wild (Stanislaus State). Beasley and Wild made the second team last year, while Cichra and Lawless were third team picks in 2024-25.
 
The Division II Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist the College Sports Communicators with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2025-26 Division II Academic All-America® program.