Cullowhee, N.C. – A combined 10 members of the Western Carolina cross country and track & field teams collected postseason honors as the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District teams were announced today.
Bennett Whitefield, Christian Roberts, Painter Richards-Baker, Colby Capps, and Dakota Braucher were on the men's awards list. At the same time, Shaneil Lysight, Sadler Miller, Raelyn Vadala, Toria Roundtree, and Emmie Finley represented the WCU women's teams.
The Academic All-District awards are the second this season for both two-sport athletes, Richards-Baker and Miller, who were also recognized on the football and women's golf teams, respectively. Shaneil Lysight earned her program-best third straight all-district plaudit, while Miller and Raelyn Vadala were recognized for the second time on the cross country/track & field lists.
The CSC Academic All-District nominations were determined by success in the classroom and on the track, as all athletes were required to post a 3.50 GPA and place within the top 50 in the region in their respective events to qualify for a nomination.
WCU's men's recipients came exclusively from the hurdles and multi-events, with Colby Capps collecting his second consecutive CSC honor with a 3.66 GPA in construction management. Capps ranked 24th in the Southeast region in the decathlon with 6233 points. Capps (2025, 2026) joined Riley Center (2023, 2024) as WCU's lone two-time recipient on the men's side.
Multis athletes Bennett Whitefield and Dakota Braucher also earned nods to the CSC all-district team, posting a 4.00 and a 3.85 GPA in biology and integrated health sciences, respectively. Whitefield ranked 13th in the decathlon with 6504 points, with Braucher sitting 38th after posting 4877.
Painter Richards-Baker posted a 3.75 GPA while working on his project management certificate and ranked 28th in the region in the 400m hurdles and 30th in the 110m hurdles. Christian Roberts earned his first career CSC honors after recording a 3.87 GPA in construction management. He ranked 18th in the region in the 400m hurdles and 33rd in the 110m hurdles.
The women's award winners saw three repeat recipients from last season's quartet, as Sadler Miller and Raelyn Vadala earned CSC honors for the second consecutive year, with Shaneil Lysight claiming her third in three seasons. Toria Roundtree and Emmie Finley represented the women's throws squad, earning their first career awards.
Miller earned her fifth career CSC honors, as the dual-sport athlete has been named to the Women's Golf Academic All-District team three years in a row. Miller recorded a 3.89 GPA in interior design and ranked 27th in the region in the high jump.
Lysight became the first track and field athlete to earn three career CSC honors, doing so with a 3.93 GPA in engineering. She ranked 31st in the 100m hurdles and 47th in the 400m hurdles. Vadala posted a 3.66 GPA in criminal justice, earning her second CSC Academic All-District honors in as many years. She ranked 38th in the triple jump after an 11.90m leap at the Southside Power and Fitness Invitational.
Toria Roundtree earned her first CSC honors after notching a 3.71 GPA while majoring in political science. A cornerstone of the WCU throws squad for the last four years, Roundtree ranked 29th in the region following her SoCon championship-winning effort in the discus.
Emmie Finley recorded a 3.66 GPA in integrated health sciences to earn her first career CSC honors. She ended the season ranked 39th in the region in the hammer throw after leading the event at the SoCon championships.
The Catamount track and field team has earned at least four Academic All-District honorees for the last four seasons, and has had 32 selections since Holly Bright in 2002. WCU's 10 selections this season are the team's most in a single year, passing the seven honored in 2023.
Through the 2025-26 academic year, Western Carolina placed 44 student-athletes on the CSC Academic All-District team across its 16 sports – six apiece from football and women's soccer, five from softball, men's and women's track & field, four from baseball, women's golf, and volleyball, two from men's golf, and one each from men's and women's basketball and women's tennis.
WCU's All-Time Track & Field CSC Academic All-District Honorees
Women's Honorees:
2026: Shaneil Lysight, Sadler Miller, Raelyn Vadala, Toria Roundtree, Emmie Finley
2025: Shaneil Lysight, Sadler Miller, Raelyn Vadala
2024: Nytrinitey Jenkins, Shaneil Lysight, Derica Currie
2023: Kate Mattison, Nytrinitey Jenkins, Sydney Gallant, Caroline Hilliard
2016: Korie Bennett, Laney Browder
2004: Leslie Martin
2003: Kineta Williams-Rogers, Macy Little, Michelle Velez
2002: Holly Bright
Men's Honorees:
2026: Colby Capps, Bennett Whitefield, Dakota Braucher, Painter Richards-Baker, Christian Roberts
2025: Colby Capps
2024: Riley Center
2023: Kaleb Ambrose, Riley Center, Jonathan Lehe
