EVANSVILLE , Ind. – Three University of Evansville cross country and track & field student-athletes have been named Academic All-District by College Sports Communicators, the organization announced on Tuesday morning. Samuel Lea (Worcester, United Kingdom/Worcester Sixth Form College) represents the Aces on the Cross Country All-District team, while Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind./Reitz) and Avery Stephens (Newburgh, Ind./Castle) represent the Aces on the track & field All-District team.
 
Lea earns Academic All-District honors in cross country after enjoying one of the finest seasons in program history. At the Gans Creek Classic, Lea broke the program record with a 24:14.4 8k, while also putting forth two more performances this season that landed him on the program's all-time list. Lea earned an individual victory at the John McNichols Invitational and earned Evansville's first All-Conference performance by a men's runner since 2006 at the MVC Championship, finishing 8^th. An Environmental Science major, Lea owns a 3.55 GPA.
 
Johnson earns Academic All-District honors after becoming the first-ever Evansville track & field athlete to be named the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year earlier this spring. Johnson enjoyed a stellar spring campaign on the track, breaking program records in the indoor 400 meters, outdoor 400 meters, outdoor 400-meter hurdles, and was a part of a program record 4x100 meter relay team. At the MVC Outdoor Championships, Johnson placed second in the 400-meter hurdles at a program record time of 1:00.86, the best finish by a Purple Ace at the MVC Outdoor Championships since 2021. A two-sport athlete for the Purple Aces, Johnson earned Second Team All-Conference honors in soccer in the fall. Majoring in Chemistry, Johnson maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA.

 
Joining Johnson on the track & field All-District Team is fellow junior Avery Stephens. A standout distance runner for the Purple Aces, Stephens took home the 3000-meter title at the ISU Open in February. Over the course of the 2026 season, Stephens set personal bests in the 3000 meters, 10000 meters, 5000 meters, and 1500 meters. During the indoor track season, Stephens notched a third-place finish in the 3000 meters at the Bellarmine Open and a fourth-place finish in the same event at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic. Studying Exercise Science at UE, Stephens holds a 3.86 GPA.