ALLENDALE, Mich. – Seven Grand Valley State athletes have been named to the 2024-25 Academic All-America® men's and women's track & field/cross country teams selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC) as announced this week. First Team selections Myles Kerner, Klaudia O'Malley and Natalie Graber are all repeat selections on the Academic All-America® Division II track & field/cross country teams. Scott Spaanstra (Third Team)is a repeat selection as well, receiving Third Team Academic All-America® honors in the 2022-23 season. Two other men (Myles Rhodes, Second Team and Koby Fraaza, Third Team) were named to the list. Kaylee Diamond is the third woman to secure honors this season, earning a spot on Second Team.
 
Kerner earned the First Team honor for the second time in his career, named to the First Team CSC Academic All-America® list in the 2022-23 season and once again during the 2024-25 season. The Grand Rapids native has built an extensive résumé during his time at Grand Valley State. This season, Kerner was named NCAA DII indoor champion in shot put with a 19.22m (63-0.75) toss for the second consecutive indoor season. He also placed fourth in weight throw with a 20.28m (66-7) throw. Ahead of the national championships, the redshirt-senior broke GVSU's Kelly Family Sports Center shot put record, which he previously held, with a 19.72m (64-8.5) launch.
 
Not only has he been named First Team CSC Academic All-America® twice, Kerner is also a  five-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) First Team All-American, four-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Commissioner's Award honoree, six-time GLIAC individual champion, three time NCAA DII individual champion and two-time GLIAC Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He closed out his academic-athletic career with a M.S. in Communications, achieving a 3.73 cumulative GPA.
 
First Team honorees Klaudia O'Malley and Natalie Graber are also repeat selections to the Academic All-America® DII teams. Both women have previously earned Third Team honors, with O'Malley most recently being honored in the 2023-24 season and Graber earning the honor for the 2022-23 season.
 
O'Malley competed in just the outdoor season for GVSU and did so in true Laker fashion. The McBain native earned her first ever individual national title, crossing the 1500m finish line at an impressive 4:29.11. She continued to dominate just hours after she was crowned champion, finishing sixth in the women's 5000m at 16:48.73. Her podium finishes in both events helped lead her team to their first Outdoor National Championship title since 2012, beating Adams State by just one point. O'Malley recorded two personal-bests this season ahead of the national championships, as well. She is ranked number two in school history with a personal-best 5000m time of 15:42.43 and is tied for second with a personal-best 1500m finish at 4:18.43.
 
The two-time Academic All-American has accumulated 19 USTFCCCA All-American honors over the course of her career, surpassing all Laker track & field/cross country athletes. O'Malley is a 25-time NCAA Championships qualifier, 2022 NCAA DII Regional Cross Country Champion, four-time GLIAC Commissioner's Award Recipient, nine-time GLIAC individual champion in addition to holding seven top-10 records in Her name GVSU's record book. Studying occupational therapy, the graduate student closed out her academic-athletic career with a 3.81 cumulative GPA. 
 
In her final seasons with eligibility, Graber collected three podium finishes at the NCAA DII Championships. During the 2024-25 indoor season, the Loogootee, Indiana native was named National Runner-Up in the women's 3000m, finishing at 9:26.91. Running the final leg of the women's distance medley relay, she also helped lead her team to a third place finish at 11:20.77 in her home state. Following the indoor season, Graber was committed to closing out her collegiate career with a bang. Her third place finish in the women's 5000m (16:39.72) at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships added six points to GVSU's women's team score, helping the lady Lakers secure their first outdoor national title since 2012.
 
A 15-time USTFCCCA All-American, Graber holds GVSU program records in the DMR and 3000m, is ranked second all-time in the mile, third in steeplechase, fourth in the 5000m (I) and 1500m (O) events and sixth in the outdoor 5000m. She was named National Champion in the 3000m steeplechase in 2023 ahead of her third place finish at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The four-time GLIAC individual champion and Commissioner's Award honoree is in pursuit of a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree; she currently holds a 3.93 cumulative GPA in the program. 
 
High jumper Kaylee Diamond has been named a 2024-25 CSC Academic All-America® honoree for the first time in her career following her individual and team national championship titles. A transfer from Aquinas college (NAIA), Diamond began her first season at GVSU with a bang. At her first meet, she tied Grand Valley State's indoor women's high jump record of 22 years with a 1.76m (5-9.25) mark. She continued to break that record, placing first at the GLIAC Indoor Championships with a meet record 1.80m (5-10.75) high jump. At the NCAA DII Indoor Championships, Diamond broke her record yet again, clearing 1.81m (5-11.25) to be named national champion. During the outdoor track & field season, she recorded the number three mark in program history with a 1.73m (5-8) clearance. The senior holds a 3.64 cumulative GPA as she studies exercise science and pre-graduate health professions.
 
Future track & field coach Myles Rhodes received a spot on the 2024-25 CSC Academic All-America® Second Team. This season, Rhodes helped lead his team to second-and-third place finishes at the NCAA DII Indoor and Outdoor Championships, respectively. At the indoor championships, Rhodes ran the 400m portion of the distance medley relay, assisting his squad to a seventh place podium finish at 9:43.37. The Houston native shined in the outdoor season, nationally placing fourth and fifth in the 4x100m relay (40.03) and 4x400m relay (3:06.76) as the anchor leg in addition to finishing fifth with a sub 46-second finish in the 400m (45.99). He closes out his academic-athletic career with program records in the 400m (I/O), the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay (O), as well as the number two spot in 200m (I/O). The Spring 2025 GLIAC Commissioner's Award Recipient is the most decorated man in GVSU track & field history with 15 All-America honors and 15 GLIAC individual championship titles. Rhodes graduated with a 3.54 cumulative GPA while studying health & physical education and education.
 
Koby Fraaza and Scott Spaanstra were named Third Team CSC Academic All-Americans®. Both saw competition in the cross country and track & field seasons.
 
Fraaza began the season with a third place finish at the NCAA DII Midwest Region Championships, finishing the 10k course at 30:54.9. He followed his All-Region performance with a USTFCCCA All-American finish at the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships, crossing the finish line 27^th at 30:15.0. His performance in the classroom and on cross country courses granted him the honor of Fall 2024 GLIAC Commissioner's Award honoree. During the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons, Fraaza finished in the top-10 nationally twice. At the indoor championships, he crossed the 3000m finish line ninth at 8:01.73. He snagged a podium spot at the outdoor championships, placing fifth in the men's 5000m at 14:35.28. At the end of his senior academic year, the Richland, Michigan native earned a 3.93 cumulative GPA while studying biomedical sciences and pre-professional preparation. 
 
Spaanstra is a repeat Academic All-America® selection, as he was named Third Team in the 2022-23 cross country and track & field season. He began the 2024-25 season with a 10^th place finish at the NCAA DII Midwest Region Championships, crossing the finish line at 31:16.6. The All-Region honoree qualified and then competed at the NCAA DII Championships in Sacramento, California, finishing the course in 31:30.1. During the indoor track & field season, Spaanstra placed sixth in the 800m (1:50.33) and seventh in the DMR (800m; 9:43.37) to earn his seventh and eighth USTFCCCA All-America honors. He revised his three records in GVSU's record book, now ranking number four all-time in the men's indoor 800m and men's DMR, while moving up to number two all-time in the outdoor 800m with a sub 1:49 minute finish of 1:48.81. The four-time GLIAC individual champion, two-time GLIAC Commissioner's Award Recipient and 2025 GLIAC Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year closed out his athletic career with a 3.67 cumulative GPA while obtaining an M.Ed. in Higher Education and Sport Coaching.