Courtesy of Air Force Athletics
AUSTIN, Texas – Brian Hubbard and Philip Hundl, two recent graduates of the Air Force track and field team, were named Academic All-Americans by the College Sports Communicators this morning (July 10). It is the first CSC honor for the pair, who earned second- and third-team status, respectively, on the 2024 Academic All-America Division I Men’s Track & Field / Cross Country Team.
Hubbard concluded his four years at the Academy with a 3.56 GPA in aeronautical engineering. As the top-scoring sprinter during the conference’s heptathlon and decathlon competitions, Hubbard placed fourth overall in the combined events at both Mountain West Championship meets this year. He debuted on the Academy’s Top 10 in the decathlon following a 6845-point performance at the Bryan Clay Invitational, while using a 5093-point outing at MW Indoors to move into No. 11 on the program’s all-time heptathlon standings.
Hundl, who graduated with a 3.75 GPA in operations research, capped his senior season by anchoring the 4×400-meter relay to a runner-up finish at the MW Outdoor Championships. Hundl, who also scored for the Falcons in the high jump (fourth) and hurdles (fifth) at the outdoor meet, added sixth-place finishes in those two events at the MW Indoor meet. Hundl also collected a Drake Relays title in 2024, as he ran on the shuttle hurdles relay that captured the Academy’s first title in that event since 1976.
Eighteen Falcons have been selected as CSC/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans a total of 22 times, as Hubbard and Hundl joined Mary Manning (1984-1985), Chris Nelson (1991-1992), Nick Wilson (2006), Kenny Grosselin (2008), Brittany Morreale (2010), Matthew Bell (2013), Jeremy Drenckhahn (2013), Rebecca Esselstein (2013-2014-2015), Josh Nielsen (2014), Taylor Smith (2016), Katie Burnham (2018), Lindsey Blanks (2020), Mitch Lipe (2020), Greg Skage (2021). Sean Geither (2022), and Katie Thompson (2023) on the prestigious list.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, student-athlete must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher on a scale of 4.00 and be a significant contributor on their team. These student-athletes, nominated by their sports information director, are named Academic All-District and advance to the national ballot, where CSC committee members vote on the Academic All-America teams within each division.
