University of North Carolina Athletics
Makayla Paige & Colton Sands Earn CSC Academic All-America Acclaim
July 15, 2026 | Cross Country, Track & Field, Academics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – For the second straight year, North Carolina's track & field / cross country's Makayla Paige and Colton Sands have been recognized as some of the sport's top students by earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors.
Picking up first team honors for the second straight year for his success in the classroom, Sands capped off his collegiate career with First Team All-America honors in the men's 5000m and Second Team All-America acclaim in the 3000m at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Boasting a GPA of 3.97, Sands spent this last year working towards his master's degree in management.
Paige took home CSC Second Team All-America honors for the second straight season, following a high-flying outdoor season. A member of the NCAA record-breaking distance medley relay team at the Penn Relays, Paige also took home the crown in the women's 800m at the ACC Outdoor Championships. At the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, she also ran the seventh fastest time in NCAA history in the women's 800m as well.
After graduating from North Carolina in 2025, Paige took a year off to work toward her master's in applied professional studies.
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Picking up first team honors for the second straight year for his success in the classroom, Sands capped off his collegiate career with First Team All-America honors in the men's 5000m and Second Team All-America acclaim in the 3000m at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Boasting a GPA of 3.97, Sands spent this last year working towards his master's degree in management.
Paige took home CSC Second Team All-America honors for the second straight season, following a high-flying outdoor season. A member of the NCAA record-breaking distance medley relay team at the Penn Relays, Paige also took home the crown in the women's 800m at the ACC Outdoor Championships. At the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, she also ran the seventh fastest time in NCAA history in the women's 800m as well.
After graduating from North Carolina in 2025, Paige took a year off to work toward her master's in applied professional studies.
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Players Mentioned
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