GREENWOOD, Ind. - Bethany College women's track and field student-athletes senior
Makenna Philson (Greenville, Pa.) and junior
Madi Donelson (Lanham, Md./Annapolis Area Christian) have been named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
In order to qualify for Academic All-District, a student-athlete must be a sophomore academically and athletically, must carry a 3.50 or higher grade point average and must be ranked within the Top-50 of their region in an individual event.
Philson receives her first career Academic All-District accolade after appearing in five indoor meets for the Bison this season. She finished 16th in the shot put at the 2025-26 Presidents' Athletic Conference Indoor Championships with a measure of 10.05 and finished with a season-best mark of 10.78 in the event to rank 30th in the NCAA's Mid-Atlantic Region. In the weight throw,
Philson threw a personal-best 12.70 at the SPIRE Collegiate Indoor Games on Feb. 14 which was ranked 37th in the region. She was also named to the 2025-26 PAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Sportsmanship Team and was an Academic All-PAC honoree.
In her Bethany career,
Philson has personal bests of 11.48 meters in the shot put, 12.70 in the weight throw, 34.11 meters in the hammer throw, and 35.87 meters in the discus throw. She is a three-time Academic All-PAC selection and is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. Academically,
Philson has earned a 3.73 grade point average as an interdisciplinary studies major.
Donelson also receives CSC Academic All-District honors after appearing in six indoor meets and six outdoor meets. In the indoor season, she finished second at the 2025-26 PAC Indoor Championships with a time of 7.94 in the 60-meter dash and seventh in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.10.
Donelson's personal-best time of 7.88 in the PAC's 60-meter prelims ranked 10th in the Mid-Atlantic Region while her season-best time of 27.10 in the 200 ranked 48th. She also competed in three different events in the outdoor season including the 100-meter dash where she finished fifth at the PAC Outdoor Championships with a time of 12.75 and in the 200-meter dash where she placed fourth with a time of 26.64 to set a new personal record.
Donelson's time in the 200 ranked 46th regionally while her season-best time of 12.69 in the 100 placed 29th in the Mid-Atlantic. She also earned an Academic All-PAC selection, was named Bethany's January Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Scholar Athlete of the Month, and received the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year Award at the 2026 Bison Awards.
In her Bethany career,
Donelson has personal bests of 7.88 seconds in the 60-meter dash, 12.69 in the 100-meter dash, and 26.64 seconds in the 200-meter dash. In the field events, she has a career-best mark of 1.43 meters in the high jump and 5.05 meters in the long jump.
Donelson is a three-time Academic All-PAC selection and has earned a 3.82 grade point average as a biology major.
The two student-athletes now advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot, which will be announced on July 15.
