SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The North Dakota State women’s track & field team led The Summit League with five student-athletes voted to the Academic All-League team for the 2025 indoor season.
Annabel Thorstenson, Ella Gardner, Merrideth Spiers, Allie Niska and Marvelous Onwualo all earned the honor by virtue of their athletic and academic achievements.
Thorstenson (Champaign, Ill.) owns a 4.0 cumulative GPA with a major in criminal justice and was named the Summit League Scholar of the Championships for the 2025 indoor meet. She took sixth place in the weight throw at the conference meet.
Gardner (Nora, Neb.) is a psychology major with a 4.0 GPA. She swept the Summit League titles in the long jump and triple jump, and ended the season ranked in the Top 100 nationally in both events.
Spiers (Grant City, Mo.) ranked 45th in the NCAA for the weight throw this year and took runner-up honors in the event at the Summit League meet. She earned a degree in psychology with a 4.0 GPA and is now pursuing a graduate degree in criminal justice with a 4.0.
Niska (Duluth, Minn.) has a 3.91 GPA as a biological sciences major. She placed third in the 400m dash at the Summit League Championships, ranking fifth-fastest in NDSU indoor history.
Onwualo (Blaine, Minn.) is majoring in biological sciences with a 4.0 GPA. She took fifth in the 60m hurdles at the Summit League meet and is ranked No. 5 all-time at NDSU in the event.
To be eligible for The Summit League Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 (on a 4.00 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team’s competitions. The award is voted on by the institutions’ faculty athletic representatives and sports information directors.
https://gobison.com/news/2025/4/2/womens-track-and-field-bison-women-lead-summit-with-five-academic-all-league-honorees.aspx