ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy track and field / cross country runners
Brett Brady (Phoenix, Ariz.),
Ashwin Briggs (Pickerington, Ohio),
Sean Casey (Vienna, Va.), and Maddie Warrender (Mount Wolf, Pa.) earned Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) this week. Casey garnered first-team recognition with Briggs claiming second-team distinction. Brady and Warrender received third-team laurels as part of the organization's track and field / cross country category. With these four awards, 10 Midshipmen have earned Academic All-America recognition during the 2021-22 academic year.
The Midshipmen's track and field /cross country program has had 10 selections in the last six seasons, including six first-team accolades. Casey joins Stefano Pineda ('19) as Navy's only two-time First Team All-American for track and field / cross country.
The three men's honorees are the most in program history in a single year, while Warrender becomes the first women's track and field / cross country student-athlete to earn the award since Brigid Byrne ('13) earned her second All-America honor in 2013.
As an athletics department, the Mids' 10 total Academic All-Americans is the third-most in school history behind the school-record 12 honorees in 2020-21 and the 11 selections in 2015-16. Only Stanford (21), Michigan (11), and Minnesota (11) had more Academic All-America honorees than Navy during the 2021-22 year.
Naval Academy student-athletes have totaled 166 Academic All-America certificates through the end of the 2021-22 academic year, a total that places the Mids eighth among NCAA Division I programs. Navy also is tied for fifth place with 130 awards since 2000 and stands fourth with 92 laurels since 2010.
The Patriot League had five total student-athletes named to the track and field / cross country Academic All-America teams with Lehigh's Seth Slavin joining Navy's four honorees.
Casey finished his Navy career as a two-time First Team Academic All-American. A NCAA Regional qualifier in the 800m, Casey was the 2022 Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while earning five PL All-Academic selections during his Navy career. The aerospace engineering major boasted a 4.00 GPA, graduating in May with distinction. On the track, the senior team captain was an eight-time All-Patriot League honoree, including five first-team nods. This outdoor season, Casey was a member of the 4x800m relay team that won the PL title, while finishing second individually in the 800m.
Briggs was a six-time Patriot League All-Academic selection. He was a three-time member of the indoor Patriot League All-Academic team, while also picking up two outdoor honors, and being selected to the cross country team as a senior. The operations research major graduated with distinction, finishing his Navy career as a seven-time All-Patriot League honoree, including six first team nods with three first-team honors coming in 2021-22 (cross country, 4x800m indoor, 4x800m outdoor).
Brady, who was the 2021 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for cross country, earned his third Patriot League All-Academic honor (cross country, indoor, and outdoor) during his junior season. The aerospace engineering major won the 3,000m steeplechase at the Patriot League Outdoor Championship, while also earning First Team All-Patriot League distinction during the cross country season.
Warrender was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection (2020, '21, '22), while also claiming Patriot League All-Academic honors three times. The honors English major graduated with distinction during the 2022 commencement ceremony for the Naval Academy. Warrender was a three-time All-Patriot League honoree, earning all-conference in cross country and outdoor track and field seasons. In addition, Warrender earned ECAC All-East honors as part of the 4x800m relay team during the 2021 ECAC Outdoor Championship.
The quartet were placed on the national ballot after earning all-district (II) recognition in May.
To be eligible for the initial district ballot, student-athletes must have attained a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.30 through the end of the 2021 fall semester, be at a minimum a sophomore academically and be a starter or key reserve on their respective team.
