The Scholar Team of the Year and All-Academic Teams for the 2021 NCAA Division II Men's Track & Field seasons were announced on Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
 
Both Central Washington men and women's track and field squads were honored for academic excellence, along with student-athletes Braydon Maier, Ethan Tonder and Meagan Smallbeck, who received individual honors.
 
The men's track team posted a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.317, while women checked in at 3.491.
 
Grand Valley State was named both the NCAA Division II Men's Indoor Track & Field National Scholar Team of the Year and the NCAA Division II Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Scholar Team of the Year after posting a cumulative GPA of 3.12 and faring well at both the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Lakers finished runner-up indoors in Birmingham, Alabama, and won the team crown outdoors on their home turf in Allendale, Michigan.
 
Ten of the top-15 men's teams from the 2021 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships and ten of the top-20 teams from the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships qualified for All-Academic distinction from the USTFCCCA.
 
Colorado School of Mines had the best cumulative GPA out of any NCAA Division II Men's Track & Field program at 3.55.
 
Here is the criteria for a team be named an NCAA Division II All-Academic Team:

• Transfer students and/or graduate students are to include only grades earned at the current nominating institution.
• The cumulative GPA of all student-athletes on the institution's NCAA Squad List for Indoor and/or Outdoor Track and Field must be computed by the following method:
• Total the cumulative number of semester hours or quarter hours earned for all student-athletes on the NCAA Squad List including the most recent grading period;
• Total the cumulative number of quality points (GPA multiplied by the number of credit hours) earned by all student-athletes including the most recent grading period;
• Divide the cumulative number of quality points earned by the cumulative number of semester or quarter hours earned.

 
Here is the criteria to be named an NCAA Division II All-Academic Athlete: 

• Must have completed at least 24 semester hours/36 quarter hours through the end of the semester of competition at the institution.
• Transfer students and/or graduate students are to include only grades earned at the current nominating institution.
• The student-athlete must have achieved an automatic or provisional qualifying mark (individual or relay event) for either the indoor season or outdoor season.