Track & Field Teams Honored With USTFCCCA Academic Team Award
Colin Winkler earned All-Academic Athlete recognition
The Central Connecticut men's and women's track and field teams were recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for their academic performance during the 2024-25 school year with the All-Academic Team Award it was announced on Wednesday.
USTFCCCA Academic Awards Release
Colin Winkler received Track & Field All-Academic Athlete recognition, which is presented to student-athletes that maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better and must have finished the season ranked in the top-96 in an indoor individual championship event or participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships or finished the season ranked in the top-48 in the East or West in an event.
Winkler, a native of Winstead, CT, wrapped-up his season as the NEC men's outdoor track and field scholar-athlete following a historic campaign that culminated on the national stage. Winkler uncorked a personal-best and school-record 74.97 meter throw in the javelin to place ninth at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and earn second-team All-America honors in the process. The performance marked the highest-ever finish by a CCSU track athlete and made Winkler the 33rd NEC men's student-athlete to garner All-America distinction in outdoor track and field. He punched his ticket to nationals with a ninth-place showing at the NCAA East Regional. In his NEC Outdoor Championship debut in early May, Winkler shattered a 12-year-old meet record in the javelin with a 71.98 meter mark. He also earned acclaim as a two-time NEC Field Athlete of the Week. A Mathematics major with a concentration in Actuarial Science, Winkler graduated with a 3.31 GPA and currently carries a 3.66 GPA while pursuing a master's degree in Data Science. He was also named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll.
In order to be selected as an All-Academic Team the cumulative GPA for all student-athletes on the institution's NCAA Squad List for Indoor and/or Outdoor Track and Field must be 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
The Central women's team had a 3.29 GPA, while the men's team posted a 3.24 grade point average. The teams combined for 60 NEC Academic Honor Roll selections, with 3.20 or higher GPA, including 19 student-athletes boasting selection to the NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll, for GPA's of 3.70 or higher. Both are increases from the season before of more than a third.
The Blue Devils men's track and field team won all three NEC Championships during the 2024-25 season, with record score totals, while the women won the 2024 NEC Cross Country Championship.
About the USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based professional association representing men's and women's cross country and track & field coaches in the United States. The organization has about 8,000 members representing nearly 94% of NCAA track & field programs are members of USTFCCCA. The group serves as an advocate for coaches, providing a national forum to address their needs. It also serves as a lobbyist for coaches' interests, and a "liaison between the various stakeholders" in the sport.
