BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Holy Cross’ Joseph Mahon and Boston University’s Adrienne Buettner-Cable were named the 2026 Patriot League Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively, when the League office announced academic honors Wednesday.
Mahon finished runner-up at the 2026 Patriot League Championships, while Buettner-Cable claimed the women’s individual title. Both were among seven student-athletes selected to the Academic All-Patriot League Teams for men’s and women’s cross country.
Mahon (Computer Science, 3.51 GPA) becomes the first Crusader in program history to be selected as Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Buettner-Cable (Health Science, 3.99 GPA) collects the Terriers’ sixth Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award since 2019.
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.
2026 Patriot League Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Joseph Mahon, Holy Cross, Sr., Woburn, Mass./Woburn Memorial
*Mahon became a two-time First Team All-Patriot League runner last weekend after finishing as the individual runner-up at the Patriot League Championship with an 8K time of 24:03.7.
*The computer science engineering major carries a cumulative GPA of 3.51 to become the first Crusader in program history be named the Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
*In his senior campaign, Mahon recorded first-place finishes at the NEICAAA Cross Country Championship, UMass Dartmouth XC Invitational and Ken O’Brien Invitational.
*The Woburn, Mass. native was a two-time Men’s Runner of the Week in 2026 (Sept. 8 & Sept. 22).
2026 Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Adrienne Buettner-Cable, Boston University, Sr., Des Moines, Iowa/Theodore Roosevelt
*Buettner-Cable concluded her career as a three-time All-Patriot League runner after finishing as the individual champion at the 2026 Patriot League Cross Country Championship with a personal-best 6K time of 19:41.6.
*The senior carries a 3.99 cumulative GPA while she pursues a bachelor’s degree in health science and a master’s degree in public health.
*The Des Moines, Iowa native was a two-time Women’s Runner of the Week and guided the Terriers to their first-ever team title at the ECAC Championship on Oct. 17.
*The three-time Academic All-Patriot League (2024-26) collected Boston University’s sixth Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award since 2019.
Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Academic Squad Breakdown
Army West Point senior Maximus Haynia (Systems Engineering, 3.58 GPA), Boston University graduate student Freddy Collins (Mechanical Engineering, 3.69 GPA), Bucknell senior Carter Paul (Political Science, 3.80 GPA), Holy Cross senior Joseph Mahon (Computer Science, 3.51), Lehigh junior Will Mrozinski (Integrated Degree in Engineering and Arts and Sciences, 3.96 GPA) and Navy junior Billy Driscoll (Mathematics, 3.97 GPA) and senior Logan Flament (Electrical Engineering, 3.99 GPA) were all selected to the Men’s Academic All-Patriot League Team.
American senior Estella Miller (Environmental Science, 3.98 GPA), Army West Point senior Mikayla Cheney (Engineering Psychology, 3.65 GPA), Boston University senior Adrienne Buettner-Cable (Health Science & Public Health, 3.99 GPA) and graduate student Abby Waddington (English, 3.99 GPA), Colgate junior Nell Droege (Psychological Science, 3.92 GPA), Lafayette junior Kendall Collier (Mathematics & Economics and Government & Law, 3.78 GPA) and Navy junior Madeline Palmisciano (Quantitative Economics, 3.89 GPA) each earned nods to the Women’s Academic All-Patriot League Team.
Six First-Team All-Patriot League Honorees Earn All-Academic Honors
In men’s cross country, Army West Point’s Haynia, Boston University’s Collins and Holy Cross’ Mahon earned Academic All-Patriot League Team honors alongside First-Team All-Patriot League accolades at the 2026 Patriot League Cross Country Championships.
On the women’s side, Army West Point’s Cheney, Boston University’s Buettner-Cable and Lafayette’s Collier each appeared on both the Academic All-Patriot League and First-Team All-Patriot League squads.
2026 Women’s Cross Country Academic All-Patriot League Team
Estella Miller, American, Sr.
Mikayla Cheney, Army West Point, Sr.
Adrienne Buettner-Cable, Boston University, Sr.
Abby Waddington, Boston University, Gr.
Nell Droege, Colgate, Jr.
Kendall Collier, Lafayette, Jr.
Madeline Palmisciano, Navy, Jr.
2026 Men’s Cross Country Academic All-Patriot League Team
Maximus Haynia, Army West Point, Sr.
Freddy Collins, Boston University, Gr.
Carter Paul, Bucknell, Sr.
Joseph Mahon, Holy Cross, Sr.
Will Mrozinski, Lehigh, Jr.
Billy Driscoll, Navy, Jr.
Logan Flament, 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 Men’s and Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, announced at the conclusion of the academic year.
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.