BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Boston University’s Vera Sjöberg won her second straight Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Meanwhile, Army West Point’s Nathan Davis took home the honor in men’s cross country when the League announced the winners on Friday. Sjöberg and Davis were also selected to the seven-member Academic All-Patriot League men’s and women’s squads.

Four men’s and women’s cross-country student-athletes are multiple-time Academic All-Patriot League honorees, each appearing for the second consecutive season. Sjöberg (English, 3.97 GPA) and Lehigh’s Maddison Hayes (biology, 4.00 GPA) each earned a spot on the squad for the second time. Colgate senior Owen Holland (mathematical economics, 3.90 GPA) and Holy Cross senior William Schimitsch (computer science, 4.00) both repeated as honorees in 2024. 

To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and be a starter or key player in their sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor. 
 
2024 Patriot League Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year 
Nathan Davis, Army West Point, Jr., East Greenbush, N.Y./Columbia
*Davis earned First Team All-Patriot League honors for the first time by finishing as the runner-up at the Patriot League Championship with an 8K time of 23:24.5.   
*The chemical engineering major carries a cumulative GPA of 3.64.
*He has earned Dean’s List honors every semester at West Point and the Superintendent’s Award for Achievement. 

2024 Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year 
Vera Sjöberg, Boston University, So., Stockholm, Sweden/Rubeck 
*Sjöberg earned First Team All-Patriot League honors for the second time in her career after finishing as the individual champion at the 2024 Patriot League Cross Country Championship with a 6K time of 19:45.9. 
*She becomes the eighth two-time recipient of the Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. 
*The Stockholm, Sweden native is an English major at Boston University with a 3.97 cumulative GPA. She is also pursuing a minor in Women, Gender and Sexuality.  
   
Eleven Student-Athletes Make Cross Country Academic Squad for the First Time 
Army West Point’s Nathan Davis highlights a list of 11 first-time Academic All-Patriot League Cross Country selections; five on each squad. Davis is joined by Boston University sophomore Karsen Vesty (mechanical engineering, 3.97 GPA) and a trio of Midshipmen – Alexander Kirkland (cyber operations, 3.20 GPA), Justin Mumford (aerospace engineering, 3.92 GPA), and Luke Nester (operations research, 3.43 GPA). 

Army West Point cadet-athletes Joanna Halfhill (physics, 4.25 GPA) and Charlotte Richman (engineering psychology, 3.67 GPA), Boston University’s Adrienne Buettner-Cable (biology, 4.00 GPA), Bucknell senior Sarah Policano (psychology, 3.91 GPA), Lehigh's Hayes, and Navy senior Alex Wercinski (chemistry, 3.45 GPA) each earned Academic All-League accolades for the first time.  

Four All-Patriot League Honorees Earn All-Academic Honors  
In men’s cross country, Davis appeared on the Academic All-Patriot League team, while also earning first-team All-Patriot League honors for his performance at the 2024 Patriot League Cross Country Championships. He was joined by three Mids – Nester, Mumford and Kirkland – as representatives on both award lists. 

Sjöberg, Richman and Wercinski each earned 2024 first-team All-Patriot League honors following the championship meet while appearing on the All-Academic squad. Buettner-Cable earned second-team All-Patriot League honors alongside her All-Academic accolade.  
 
2024 Men’s Cross Country Academic All-Patriot League Team  
Nathan Davis, Army West Point, Jr. 
Karsen Vesty, Boston University, So.  
Owen Holland, Colgate, Sr. 
William Schimitsch, Holy Cross, Sr. 
Alexander Kirkland, Navy, Sr. 
Justin Mumford, Navy, Jr. 
Luke Nester, Navy, Sr. 
 
2024 Women’s Cross Country Academic All-Patriot League Team  
Joanna Halfhill, Army West Point, Sr. 
Charlotte Richman, Army West Point, Jr. 
Adrienne Buettner-Cable, Boston University, So. 
Vera Sjöberg, Boston University, Jr. 
Sarah Policano, Bucknell, Sr. 
Maddison Hayes, Lehigh, Sr. 
Alex Wercinski, Navy, Sr. 
 
Patriot League Men’s and Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year 
The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor, given out over the summer. One male and one female are selected for this honor. 
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE 
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.