Paige & Sands Earn Spots On CSC Academic All-America Teams
July 17, 2025 | Cross Country, Track & Field, Academics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – As standouts on the track and in the classroom, Makayla Paige and Colton Sands each picked up honors for the Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Teams as announced by the Collegiate Sports Communicators this week.
Etching her name in Carolina history, Paige made a mark on the track both indoor and outdoor this past season.  The senior bested her own school record at the NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships en route to earning the national title in the 800m with a time of 2:00.39. The Tewksbury, Mass., native also clocked the second fastest time in program history in the 400m indoors with a time of 52.70.Â
Her successes led Paige to earn the title of the 2025 ACC Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Outdoors, Paige finished as the runner-up at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 800m and earned silver at the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships to claim her third All-America honors of her career.
Boasting a GPA of 3.52, the geological science major garners her first CSC Academic All-America honor of her career with a spot on the second team.
Running multiple personal bests this season, Sands picked up second team All-America honors in the 3,000m at the NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships. In the 5,000m, Sands placed third in the 5,000m at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Shining outdoors, Sands earned his first career outdoor All-America honors with a 12th place finish in the 5,000m at the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships. Sands also ran the fifth fastest 5,000m time in program history at the Penn Relays at 13:31.62
Majoring in geological sciences with a GPA of 3.97, Sands earns the First Team Academic All-America acclaim for the first time in his career. The senior was also honored as one of UNC's Top Ten Scholar-Athletes, which is awarded to the five male and five female graduating senior student-athletes with the highest cumulative GPAs.
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Etching her name in Carolina history, Paige made a mark on the track both indoor and outdoor this past season.  The senior bested her own school record at the NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships en route to earning the national title in the 800m with a time of 2:00.39. The Tewksbury, Mass., native also clocked the second fastest time in program history in the 400m indoors with a time of 52.70.Â
Her successes led Paige to earn the title of the 2025 ACC Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Outdoors, Paige finished as the runner-up at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 800m and earned silver at the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships to claim her third All-America honors of her career.
Boasting a GPA of 3.52, the geological science major garners her first CSC Academic All-America honor of her career with a spot on the second team.
Running multiple personal bests this season, Sands picked up second team All-America honors in the 3,000m at the NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships. In the 5,000m, Sands placed third in the 5,000m at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Shining outdoors, Sands earned his first career outdoor All-America honors with a 12th place finish in the 5,000m at the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships. Sands also ran the fifth fastest 5,000m time in program history at the Penn Relays at 13:31.62
Majoring in geological sciences with a GPA of 3.97, Sands earns the First Team Academic All-America acclaim for the first time in his career. The senior was also honored as one of UNC's Top Ten Scholar-Athletes, which is awarded to the five male and five female graduating senior student-athletes with the highest cumulative GPAs.
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