Completed Event: Men's Track and Field at BIG EAST Championships on February 27, 2026 ,
Men's Track and Field
at BIG EAST Championships
Final
Providence College Athletics
Men’s And Women’s Track & Field Earn 2026 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Awards
7/21/2026 11:56:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Kate Currie, Cara Laverty, Maeve O’Neill, Gabby Schmidt, Thomas Breen and Elliott Pugh each received individual distinction.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its academic awards on Monday, July 20. The Providence College men's and women's track and field programs each earned 2026 NCAA Division I All-Academic Team honors. Six Friars also were recognized individually as All-Academic Athletes, including sophomore Kate Currie (Christchurch, New Zealand), alumni Cara Laverty (Derry, Ireland), senior Maeve O'Neill (Cork, Ireland), junior Gabby Schmidt (Brisbane, Australia) and juniors Thomas Breen (Providence, R.I.) and Elliott Pugh (Tauranga, New Zealand).
In order to receive team academic recognition, programs must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher among all student-athletes listed on their NCAA roster for indoor and/or outdoor track and field. This GPA includes the most recent grading period and is calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of semester or quarter hours completed across all eligible student-athletes. The women's track and field program and the men's team each earned a cumulative GPA of 3.58.
To earn individual academic honors, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale, have completed at least two semesters at their institution and meet athletic performance standards. These standards include finishing the indoor season ranked among the top 96 in an individual event or top 48 in a relay, qualifying for any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships or ranking in the top 48 in their region on the final outdoor performance list.
O'Neill, a biology major, earned Second Team All-America honors during both the indoor and outdoor seasons after winning BIG EAST titles in the 800 meters indoors and outdoors. She also set school records in the 600, 800 and 1,000 meters, qualified for the World Athletics Indoor Championships and advanced to the semifinals in the 800 meters.
Laverty, a psychology graduate, earned All-BIG EAST honors in both the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500 meters while helping the Friars capture BIG EAST titles in the indoor and outdoor 4x800-meter relays. She also qualified for the NCAA East First Round in the 1,500 meters.
Schmidt, a global studies major with a political science minor, won the BIG EAST title in the 10,000 meters and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the 5,000 meters.
Currie, whose planned major is undecided, placed sixth in the 5,000 meters at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the event.
Pugh, a finance major, earned All-BIG EAST honors in the outdoor 1,500 meters, qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and received Honorable Mention All-America recognition after becoming the fifth Friar in program history to break 3:40 in the event.
Breen, a history major with a Catholic humanities minor, earned All-BIG EAST honors with a third-place finish in the 800 meters at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships.
For more information on the Providence College men's and women's indoor track teams, follow @FriarsXCTrack on X and Instagram.
-GO FRIARS!-
In order to receive team academic recognition, programs must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher among all student-athletes listed on their NCAA roster for indoor and/or outdoor track and field. This GPA includes the most recent grading period and is calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of semester or quarter hours completed across all eligible student-athletes. The women's track and field program and the men's team each earned a cumulative GPA of 3.58.
To earn individual academic honors, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale, have completed at least two semesters at their institution and meet athletic performance standards. These standards include finishing the indoor season ranked among the top 96 in an individual event or top 48 in a relay, qualifying for any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships or ranking in the top 48 in their region on the final outdoor performance list.
O'Neill, a biology major, earned Second Team All-America honors during both the indoor and outdoor seasons after winning BIG EAST titles in the 800 meters indoors and outdoors. She also set school records in the 600, 800 and 1,000 meters, qualified for the World Athletics Indoor Championships and advanced to the semifinals in the 800 meters.
Laverty, a psychology graduate, earned All-BIG EAST honors in both the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500 meters while helping the Friars capture BIG EAST titles in the indoor and outdoor 4x800-meter relays. She also qualified for the NCAA East First Round in the 1,500 meters.
Schmidt, a global studies major with a political science minor, won the BIG EAST title in the 10,000 meters and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the 5,000 meters.
Currie, whose planned major is undecided, placed sixth in the 5,000 meters at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the event.
Pugh, a finance major, earned All-BIG EAST honors in the outdoor 1,500 meters, qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and received Honorable Mention All-America recognition after becoming the fifth Friar in program history to break 3:40 in the event.
Breen, a history major with a Catholic humanities minor, earned All-BIG EAST honors with a third-place finish in the 800 meters at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships.
For more information on the Providence College men's and women's indoor track teams, follow @FriarsXCTrack on X and Instagram.
-GO FRIARS!-
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
/ Men's Track and Field
Friday, April 12
