GORHAM, Maine – Five members of the University of Southern Maine Huskies' men's cross country and track & field team have earned 2023-2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors. Earning the academic distinction were graduate student William Carrolton (Bath, Maine/Morse), seniors Ben Drummey (Biddeford, Maine) and Jack Pecoraro (Westbrook, Maine), and sophomores Maddox Cahill (Sunapee, N.H) and Michael D'Amico (Belgrade Lakes, Maine/Messalonskee).
 
To be eligible for Academic All-District recognition, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically with a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher. They must also have a rank in the Top 50 in their region in a single event (XC, indoor or outdoor). Selected by College Sports Communicators, the Academic All-District teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Carrolton and Drummey will now advance to the Academic All-American ballot.
 
A Studio Art major, Cahill had a breakout season in his first year in Gorham. The sophomore won the Little East Conference title in the 400 meters at the indoor conference championship meet and was on two relay teams that earned medals. He ran with a 4x200 team that placed first and a 4x400 team that finished second. He earned all-conference honors once again at the LEC outdoor championships with a second-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles. 
 
Carrolton, who is pursuing a Master's Degree in Policy, Planning, & Management, completely rewrote the program record book for the discus in his first season with the Huskies. Carrolton broke the program record in the event in his first meet and went on to break his own record multiple times. He holds all the top-10 marks in program history in the discus. He also broke the program shot put record and holds seven of the top-10 marks in that event as well. Carrolton won conference titles in both events during the outdoor season and placed second in the discus at both the Division III New England Championships and the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Championships. His top discus mark of 50.93m ranked 24th in Division III, just two spots away from qualifying for the Division III Outdoor National Championships. He earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honors in the discus for the 2024 outdoor season.
 
D'Amico, a Cyber Security major, earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the decathlon for the 2024 outdoor season. He ranked fifth in the region and became the fifth-highest scoring decathlete in program history. A pole vaulter and hurdler, D'Amico placed third in the pole vault and fifth in the 55-meter hurdles at the indoor conference championships. The outdoor LEC championship meet saw D'Amico place fourth in the pole vault and sixth in the 110-meter hurdles.
 
A National Championship qualifier in the pole vault during both the indoor and outdoor seasons, Drummey has now earned Academic All-District honors twice in his career. The 2022-2023 Second Team Academic All-American broke his own program record in the pole vault by clearing 5.21m at the Maine State Meet and was named the meet's Most Outstanding Field Performer. During the indoor season, Drummey was selected as the USTFCCCA DIII East Region Field Athlete of the Year and the LEC Field Athlete of the Year. He won conference titles in the pole vault at both the indoor and outdoor LEC championship meets and also won the title at the Division III New England Indoor Championships. He entered the 2024 NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships with the best mark in the nation and placed second at the event to earn First Team All-American honors. He tied for the seventh-best mark in the nation heading into the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships but was forced to withdraw from the competition following an injury while warming up at the event. Majoring in Nursing, Drummey was selected as the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Indoor Track & Field National Scholar Field Athlete of the Year and is a two time a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete.
 
Pecoraro, like Drummey, is now a two-time Academic All-District honoree. A double major in History and Management, Pecoraro placed 11th at the 2023 LEC Cross Country Championships to earn Second Team All-LEC honors, the first cross country all-conference honor of his career. He earned three bronze medals at the 2024 LEC Indoor Championships with third-place performances in the 1000m and the mile, and with the Huskies' 4x800 relay team. He placed first in the 1500m at the 2024 LEC Outdoor Championships to earn his first individual conference title. He also reached the podium with a 4x800 relay team that placed third. His performance at the NCAA DIII East Regional Cross Country Championships, where he placed 45th, helped him earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete status for the 2023 cross country season.