Women's Track and Field | 6/23/2026 12:00:00 PM

Greenwood, Indiana – Highlighting a year with numerous program records and an individual conference title, the Oberlin College women's cross country and track & field teams earned five College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors. 

Anna Fritz garners her second CSC award while Solana Pearl, Char Purcell, Celia Vaughn, and Ella Wozek each earn their first All-District selection. 

"The group of students who have earned this honor represents 10 different majors across Oberlin's academic spectrum. Showing up at practice each day, you can arrive to a conversation about anything from neurotoxicology to lexical priority—these students have helped to make our team an interesting and vibrant one, and we're so proud of what they've accomplished in the classroom!" Head Coach Ben Wach adds. 

Graduating with a 4.08 in Neuroscience, Fritz earned United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honors in the indoor and outdoor long jump this season. Placing as the runner-up in the long jump in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Outdoor Championships, the Oberlin native established new program records in the indoor and outdoor long jump this year. 

Improving her 3,000m steeplechase performance by over a minute in less than a month, Pearl earned a top-50 regional ranking in the steeplechase. Clocking in a time of 12:00.46 at the NCAC Championships for a ninth-place finish, the New Mexico native finished the outdoor season ranked 37th in the Great Lakes. 

Competing in both the 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m at the NCAC Championships, Purcell delivered a runner-up performance in the steeplechase to earn All-Conference honors for the first time in her career. With a personal best of 11:16.85, the Texas native ranks 12th in the region in the steeplechase, while ranking 36th in the Great Lakes in the 5,000m (18:00.47). 

Graduating with a degree in Psychology, Vaughn had a remarkable senior season, highlighted by a sixth-place finish in the heptathlon at the NCAC Championships. Producing a score of 3,161 points, the California native tied for a 17th-place regional ranking in the heptathlon while also ranking 26th in the pentathlon during the indoor season. 

Highlighting an impressive four-year career with an NCAC Championship title, Wozek had a remarkable performance in the 800m this year. Earning All-NCAC and All-Region honors in the 800m during the indoor season, the Massachusetts native secured the first outdoor NCAC title in a running event from the women's team since 2023, concluding her career ranking second in program history in both the indoor and outdoor 800m. 

"This is such deserved recognition for these student-athletes. They represent what is one of the main principles of our program and Oberlin Athletics as a whole, namely that you can make the most of your Oberlin education while also being a dedicated athlete," Assistant Coach Izzy Alexander continues. 

The award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the course and the track and in the classroom. To be eligible for selection, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore athletic status and rank among the top 50 in the region in an individual event or place among the top 50 at the 2025 regional cross country meet while maintaining a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average.

While Fritz, Vaughn, and Wozek graduated this May, Pearl, Purcell, and the rest of the cross country team look to open their season on September 5 at the Grizzly Invite, hosted by Franklin.

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