GORHAM, Maine – Four members of the University of Southern Maine men's cross country and track and field program have earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors. The four honorees include juniors Ben Drummey (Biddeford, Maine) and Jack Pecoraro (Westbrook, Maine) and sophomores Jordan Duplessie (Caribou, Maine) and Anthony O'Donnell (Portland, Maine/Deering).
 
To be eligible for the accolade, student-athletes must be a starter or an important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's contests, must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, and have been at their current institution for one full academic year. Graduate students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher as both an undergrad and graduate student-athlete.
 
Drummey, a Nursing major, won the pole vault title at the 2023 NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships and also earned All-American status by tying for fourth at the outdoor national championships. He also won the national title at the 2022 indoor championships and is a four-time All-American. Drummey was the Little East Conference champion in the pole vault during the indoor season and placed second at the outdoor championships. He also is the reigning Division III New England pole vault champion for both the indoor and outdoor seasons and was named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region for each season. In his career he is a three-time LEC champion in the pole vault and has made the conference's All-Academic Team three times. Other academic honors for Drummey include five LEC Academic Honor Roll selections, two William B. Wise Scholar Athlete designations and a USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete award.  
 
Duplessie earned Second Team All-LEC honors for cross country last fall by finishing eighth at the conference championship. As a freshman in 2021 he was crowned the LEC Rookie of Year thanks to a fourth-place finish at the conference cross country championships. This past indoor season he placed third in the 3000 meters at the conference championship and during the outdoor season he finished sixth in the 1500 meters. Duplessie was consistently the top finisher for the Huskies during the 2022 cross country season and placed 53rd at the NCAA Division III East Regional Championship. His placement in the event, along with his academic performance, earned him USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete recognition. Majoring in Environmental Science, Duplessie has been named to the LEC All-Academic Team twice and the LEC Academic Honor Roll three times. He was also named a William B. Wise Scholar Athlete in 2022.
 
O'Donnell is a two-time LEC All-Academic Team member and has been a part of the LEC Academic Honor Roll three times. The Psychology major placed 40th at the LEC cross country championships and ran a personal best in the 10,000 meters at the conference outdoor championships to place eighth. During the indoor season he finished 14th in the mile at the conference championships. O'Donnell was named a William B. Wise Scholar Athlete this past fall.
 
Pecoraro earned Second Team All-LEC honors in the 800 meters at both the indoor and outdoor conference championships with second place finishes each time. He also was a member of a 4x800 relay team that placed third at the outdoor championships and fourth during the indoor championships. Pecoraro also runs cross country for the Huskies and placed 27th at the LEC Championships last fall. Double majoring in Management and History, Pecoraro has earned LEC All-Academic honors five times and has made the LEC Academic Honor Roll five times as well. Additionally, he is a two-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete.
 
As Academic All-District honorees, each of the student-athletes on the Academic All District team are eligible for the Academic All-America ballot.  Voting for the Academic All-America program continues through June 7, and the Academic All-America team for men's cross country and track and field will be announced on June 29. Members of College Sports Communicators are eligible to vote. College Sports Communicators began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, has honored more than 38,000 deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors.  Currently, CSC sponsors Academic All-America® programs for men's soccer, women's soccer, football, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, baseball, softball and men's and women's track and field/cross country. Many other sports are eligible through the At-Large program, including USM sponsored sports field hockey, golf, ice hockey, and wrestling).