INDIANAPOLIS - Three members of the IU Indianapolis men's and women's cross country teams earned recognition from the league office on Thursday (Nov. 21) as the #HLXC All-Academic Teams were announced. Redshirt freshman Luke Shappell was voted to the Men's All-Academic Team by the league's faculty athletic representatives and graduate student Nate Kaiser earned honorable mention. On the women's side, graduate Ellie Cates also earned honorable mention plaudits. 

Shappell earned the #HLXC Freshman of the Year Award at the league championships as the top finishing newcomer, placing 15th overall. He helped the Jaguars to a team runner-up finish and was  a three-time #HLXC Freshman of the Week this season. He was among the team's top three finishers in every entry this season, including capping the year as the team's No. 2 runner at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Academically, he maintains a 3.80 grade point average while studying biology. 

Kaiser placed third at the #HLXC Championships, earning First Team All-League honors. In doing so, he helped the Jaguars to a runner-up finish and earned his fifth all-league award in cross country, including three first team accolades. He was the team's top finisher in all three of his entries this season, including the Horizon League Championships and NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Academically, he earned his degree in business with a 3.51 grade point average and is now pursuing certificates in sports tourism and nutrition. 

Cates was unquestionably the Jaguars top performer this year, leading the team to the line in all six of her entries this season. She was a two-time All-Horizon League performer in cross country during her career and closed her cross country career with the program's 6K record, running a time of 21:11.6 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Earlier in the season, she clocked the fifth-best 5K in program history at 17:49.6. Academically, she completed her undergraduate degree in biology and has maintained a perfect grade point average while pursuing her Master's degree in bioinformatics. 

The full list of this year's honorees is below, listed alphabetically by school. Honorable mentions are student-athletes who received 25 percent of votes, but did not make the All-Academic Team.
 
2024 Valeo #HLXC Men's All-Academic Team
 Josh Otten, Detroit Mercy
Noah Jahnke, Green Bay
Luke Shappell, IU Indianapolis
Josiah Magley, Oakland
Nicholas Mills, Purdue Fort Wayne
Colten Morris, RMU
Tobias Jones, Youngstown State
Owen Brady, Youngstown State
 
Honorable Mention
Nate Kaiser, IU Indianapolis
Colton O'Hara, Northern Kentucky
Hunter Christopher, Youngstown State
Ryan Meadows, Youngstown State
 
2024 Valeo #HLXC Women's All-Academic Team
Ariana Coats, Cleveland State
Kelsey Radobicky, Green Bay
Cailin Kinas, Milwaukee
Erin Hegarty, Oakland
Grace Nolan, Oakland
Ava Genovese, Purdue Fort Wayne
Riley Tate, Purdue Fort Wayne
 
Honorable Mention
Natalie Keller, Cleveland State
Ellie Cates, IU Indianapolis
Anelise Egge, Milwaukee
Julia Dill, RMU
Molly Hopple, Youngstown State