Academic All-America Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams

GOLDEN, Colo. - The Colorado School of Mines women's track & field/cross country trio of Margaux Basart, Emily LaMena, and Grace Strongman have been named First-Team Academic All-Americans by the College Sports Communicators after standout 2025-26 seasons.

The three all saw tremendous success in competition last year in leading a historic campaign for the Oredigger women, who captured the RMAC cross country championship for the first time on the way to a best-ever second-place national finish before finishing a program-best third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the spring. Between them, the three earned an impressive 12 all-America finishes this past season.

In addition, Lexi Herr, Taylor Hindman, and Lisa Sutherland were named to the CSC Academic All-District team. Combined with the men's honorees announced July 14, Mines track & field earned seven Academic All-Americans and a dozen Academic All-District awards for 2025-26.

Basart earns her second career Academic All-America nod after wrapping up a decorated career. An All-American in cross country, Basart finished 35th nationally and seventh at the RMAC Championships to be named the RMAC Academic Runner of the Year; indoors, she was a Second-Team All-American in both the 3,000m and 5,000m and was the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award winner. A steeplechaser in the spring, Basart was the RMAC bronze medalist in the event. Basart has an undergraduate degree in engineering physics and is pursuing a master's in quantum engineering. 

LaMena had one of the best individual seasons ever by an Oredigger as a national champion and three-season all-American, winning the NCAA steeplechase title outdoors while adding a seventh-place NCAA cross country finish, bronze in the indoor 5,000m, and silver in the outdoor 5K. The USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year outdoors, LaMena scored a Mines-record 18 team points at the NCAA Championships and ended the season as the Orediggers' recordholder in the steeplechase. LaMena recently completed her academic junior year majoring in geophysical engineering.

Strongman joined LaMena atop the podium this spring as the NCAA Division II 5,000m champion, one of four first-team all-America performances for the senior this season. Strongman was the national runner-up in cross country - the highest-ever finish by an Oredigger - and the RMAC individual champion, and went on to double-podium at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 3,000m and 5,000m. Outdoors, she captured the 5K national title and set program records both at that distance and in the 1,500m. Strongman has both B.S. and M.S. degrees in metallurgical & materials engineering from Mines. 

All honorees must have a 3.5 or above GPA while holding sophomore or higher academic standing. Academic All-America awards are voted on by the nation's sports information directors. Since 1972, Colorado School of Mines' 230 Academic All-America recipients are the most by any NCAA Division II member.