NEW ORLEANS – The Harding University men's cross-country team has been named a 2025 NCAA Division II All-Academic Team, while four Bisons earned individual All-Academic honors, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Thursday.
The Bisons combined for a 3.62 team grade point average, comfortably exceeding the 3.0 requirement for the national distinction. Harding was among the top-performing programs in the country academically, led by head coach Don Hood.
Individually, four Bisons were named All-Academic Athletes: sophomore Oren Arthun, junior Aidan Bailey, senior Ryan McCarn, and senior Nathaniel Perry.
To qualify for individual All-Academic distinction, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and finish in the top 30 percent of their respective regional championship meet.
The four honorees excelled across diverse academic disciplines:
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Arthun, a Bible and Ministry major from Manhattan, Montana, carries a 3.92 GPA.
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Bailey, a Mechanical Engineering major from Benton, Arkansas, maintains a 3.97 GPA.
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Perry, a Management major from Little Rock, Arkansas, holds a 3.88 GPA.
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McCarn, a Marketing major from Mountain View, Arkansas, sports a 3.51 GPA.
The academic accolades follow a highly successful 2025 campaign on the course. Harding placed second at the Great American Conference Championships in Monticello, Arkansas, and followed that performance with a ninth-place finish out of 31 teams at the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships in Joplin, Missouri.
At the regional meet, Perry led the Harding quartet with a 35th-place finish, followed by McCarn in 46th, Arthun in 53rd, and Bailey in 63rd. All four Bisons finished within the top 30 percent of the 214-runner field to secure their academic honors.
The Bisons were also buoyed by perfect classroom performances from teammates such as Glenn Graves, who carries a 4.0 GPA, and high marks from Parker Hansen (3.94) and Tucker Allen (3.81), contributing to one of the highest team GPAs in the Central Region.
