SUPERIOR, Wis. – The College Sports Communicators (CSC), formerly known as College Sports Information Directors of America, announced its Academic All-District Team for women's cross country and track and field teams in an announcement Tuesday, and two Yellowjacket women received recognition from the organization.
 
Junior distance runner Halle Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and sophomore thrower Sidney Bader (Milltown, Wis./Unity) picked up honors from the CSC.
 
The College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom, separately recognizing cross country and track and field student-athletes in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
To be eligible for nomination consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher and be a starter or key contributor on their respective team.
 
Barker holds a 3.68 grade point average while studying Biology. She continuously posted personal records in her junior campaign, as her efforts aided the Yellowjackets in earning the program's first title since joining the UMAC in 2015. Her championship time of 23:44.9 saw her earn All-UMAC honors and she repeated during the indoor track and field season, earning medalist honors in the 5,000-meter race.
 
Bader is currently an English Education major who maintains a 3.84 grade point average. Her marks in the discus and javelin continued to improve as the season progressed, featuring a two-week span where she earned a javelin championship at Concordia St. Paul and breaking a UW-Superior record. Bader's heave of 35.79 meters set her atop the Yellowjacket leaderboard, besting the previous record of 35.16 meters set 19 years ago.
 
The Yellowjackets earned the program's first UMAC cross country and indoor track and field championships, while capturing the second straight indoor title during the 2023-24 season.