AUSTIN, Texas – Indiana State pole vaulter Will Staggs was recognized for his accomplishments in the field and classroom, as the rising senior was named a Second Team Academic All-American Wednesday by College Sports Communicators.
 
Staggs owns a 3.97 cumulative GPA as an applied medicine major. He has been on the dean's list at Indiana State in each of his six semesters on campus and was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team in both 2023 and 2024. Staggs also earned the MVC's Elite 17 Award, given to the athlete with the highest GPA among medalists at the conference championships, for both the 2023 and 2024 indoor track and field seasons.
 
In addition to his academic achievements, Staggs has become one of the best pole vaulters in Missouri Valley Conference history. He already owns Indiana State's program record in the event both indoor (5.52m/18-01.25) and outdoor (5.50m/18-00.50), reaching heights that the conference has not seen in more than 20 years. Staggs has won five MVC pole vault titles (2022 indoor, 2022 outdoor, 2023 indoor, 2024 indoor, 2024 outdoor) in the pole vault and also owns Indiana State's indoor (5.35m/) and outdoor (5.42m/17-09.25) facility records in the event.
 
Staggs has also showcased his abilities on the national stage, ranking as one of the top pole vaulters in all of Division I. He was a Second Team All-American during the 2024 indoor season with a ninth-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Indoor National Championships and also earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades during the 2023 outdoor season with an 18th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor National Championships.
 
Staggs becomes the 32nd Indiana State student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors, and the first men's track and field/cross country student-athlete to be named an Academic All-American since 2010. Indiana State student-athletes have earned 36 Academic All-America honors in total, with 15 first team honors, 13 second team honors, six third team honors. Sycamore track and field/cross country student-athletes are responsible for seven of those Academic All-America honors (one first team, four second team, two third team).

Academic All-Americans are selected from a national ballot from Academic All-District honorees. Indiana State had four Academic All-District honorees in 2024 – Brooklyn Giertz-Pfaff, Kevin Krutsch, Shomari Rogers-Walton and Staggs. Nominees are submitted by their institution's athletic communications staff who are dues-paying members of CSC. Nominees must be a sophomore both academically and athletically and have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher. Track and field/cross nominees were eligible if they were ranked in the top 50 regionally in an individual event, or earned a top-50 finish at an NCAA Cross Country Regional meet.
 
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