GREENWOOD, Ind. – Eastern Oregon University's Mark Church has been named to the
2025–26 Academic All-America NAIA Men's Track & Field Second Team, College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced Tuesday morning. The prestigious recognition honors his exceptional accomplishments in both academics and athletics throughout the past season.
Church, a senior from Fruitland, Idaho, is a standout thrower who competes in the shot put, discus, hammer throw, and weight throw during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. He put together an impressive campaign this year, qualifying for the NAIA Indoor National Championships, where he finished eighth in the 35-pound weight throw with a toss of 18.85 meters to earn the first All-America honor of his career this season. At the Cascade Collegiate Conference Outdoor Championships, Church played a key role in helping the Mountaineers capture the team title by winning both the hammer throw and discus competitions. Those performances secured his place at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships, where he recorded a personal-best hammer throw of 59.03 meters to finish fifth and earn his second All-America honor of the season.
Selected from a nationwide pool of more than 30,000 nominees, Church earned Academic All-America honors for his excellence in the classroom and in competition. He maintained a high GPA while completing his degree in Agriculture Entrepreneurship, demonstrating the academic achievement that, along with his athletic success, led to the national recognition. After being named Academic All-District, Church advanced to the national ballot, where College Sports Communicators (CSC) members selected the Academic All-America teams from approximately 2,000 finalists.
With this honor, Church joins an elite group of student-athletes recognized for excelling academically while competing at the highest level of collegiate athletics. The Academic All-America distinction has long represented one of the nation's highest honors for student-athletes, with past recipients going on to make meaningful contributions in fields including medicine, business, science, and the arts.