Six members of the UMBC Track & Field and Cross Country programs, Justin Banks, Daniel Danilovitz, Scott Gersten, Iosif Papa, Alim Raji and Grayson Ruffner, were named to the College Sports Communicators 2026 All-District Academic Team, recognizing excellence in competition and in the classroom.

Banks won a pair of golds and three silvers combined at the Indoor and Outdoor America East Championships this past year and has a 3.79 GPA in Psychology, while Danilvoitz had solid campaigns in Cross Country and Track & Field and earned a 3.90 GPA in Biology,

Gersten is a Computer Science Major with a 3.95 GPA and the sixth best Javelin toss in UMBC history. Papa is a two-time Honorable Mention All-American in the discus after he recently qualified for NCAA Championships for the second-straight year. The 2026 America East Outdoor Championships Most Outstanding Field Performer won the discus for the third time and has a 3.50 GPA in Financial Economics.

Raji is an Information Systems major with a 3.63 GPA who won gold in the 4x100 relay, silver in the 100 and bronze in the 200 at the America East Outdoor Championships, bronze in the 60 and 200 at America Indoor Championships and was a member of the America East Indoor Track & Field All-Academic Team. Ruffner was the anchor of the gold medal-winning Distance Medley Relay and took silver in the 4x800 relay at America East Indoor Championships, and has a 3.74 GPA in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology.