Five members of the University of Rochester men's track and field program were honored for their efforts in the classroom as well as in their sport, being named to the 2022-23 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Men's Academic All-District ® Team for cross country and track and field.
 
Representing the Yellowjackets are seniors Frederick Liu, Gabe Lundy, Alex Opsahl and Scott Sikorski along with junior Mitch Lienert.
 
The 2022-23 CSC Academic All-District® At-Large Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in sports and in the classroom. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average at his or her current institution and be at least a sophomore or later in academic standing.
 
Liu, a Computer Science and Political Science major, saw his tremendous academic career at the University come to a close with graduation earlier this month. Away from athletics, he was elected Phi Beta Kappa, earning the Provost Circle Scholar Award and was a recipient of the Suzanne O'Brein Book award. Additionally, Liu received the First-Year Student Leadership Award, was a three-time Liberty League All-Academic selection and was named the 2023 Peter DiPasquale Male Scholar-Athlete Award winner at this year's UR Athletics Banquet.
 
Sporting the Yellowjacket colors in competition, Liu had a terrific season as a senior, posting a career-best 7.03 meter leap in the long jump at the Liberty League Outdoor Championships, ending in third place. Two weeks ago, he finished eighth at the All-Atlantic Regional Championships outdoors, helping the Yellowjackets to a fourth place team result. For his career, he was a five-time All-Liberty League performer (top-3) and nine-time event scorer (top-8). This season indoors he was runner-up in the long jump at the conference championships, posting an indoor lifetime-best of 6.91 meters.
 
Lundy, a multi-year team captain at Rochester, recently completed a fabulous career with the Yellowjackets, qualifying for the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships on four occasions. He was named an All-American indoors during the 2020 season in the 4x400 meter relay and has earned seven All-Region USTFCCCA accolades. At last week's NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships Lundy placed 12th in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 53.36 seconds. Overall, he sees his name on the UR school record board on three occasions, he is a 10-time All-Liberty League performer and scored three conference titles during his time with the Yellowjackets.
 
Academically, Lundy receives his third straight Academic All-District® honor from CSC this year, while also being a three-time Liberty League All-Academic recipient. Lundy is a member of Rochester's Naval ROTC Unit and served as Battalion Operation Officer during his time on the River Campus. He has been commissioned into the U.S. Navy and will attend Flight School in Florida. Some of his volunteer efforts include being a part of the REACH Advocacy and Veterans Outreach program in Rochester, cleaning and helping provide shelters for homeless individuals.
 
Away from the track, Opsahl recently graduated as a double major in Biochemistry and Psychology. He is now a two-time CSC Academic All-District® honoree and was honored three times by the Liberty League as an All-Academic team member. The senior earned multiple honors from the USTFCCCA for his efforts in the classroom and also is a member of the Psi Chi Honor Society. Opsahl serves as a volunteer EMT and has spent time volunteering with his hometown Fire Department in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. Additionally, he has been a research assistant in the UR Medical Center Emergency Department.
 
During his track and field career, Opsahl broke through as a senior and qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships last week ending 13th with a score of 6,384 points. He is a two-time Liberty League Champion and eight-time conference scorer for the Yellowjacket men's program. His career-best decathlon score of 6,534 points came this season at the Liberty League Championships, earning his spot at the national meet. A three-time All-Region honoree from the USTFCCCA, Opsahl wraps up his UR career with five total All-Liberty League honors and two First-Team awards.
 
Sikorski wrapped up his Rochester track and field and cross country career this season by earning All-America honors twice, coming in the fall at the Division III Cross Country Championships and in the 1500 meters at the Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Overall, he has earned three All-America honors during his UR career and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships seven times (2 XC, 2 indoor track & field, 3 outdoor track & field). He holds five Rochester school records and was a 14-time All-Region honoree from the USTFCCCA. Sikorski garnered Niagara Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors in 2023 and was elected Liberty League Outdoor Track Performer of the Year in 2021 and 2022. He earned First Team All-UAA accolades last fall in cross country and was a 7-time Liberty League Champion and 12-time All-Liberty League honoree in track and field.
 
The senior also excelled away from athletics, garnering three USTFCCCA All-Academic, three UAA All-Academic and three Liberty League All-Academic honors. He was picked as an Academic All-District selection by the College Sports Communicators in 2021 and earned the Louis Alexander Alumni Award from the UR athletics department this spring. Sikorski has done research at the University of Rochester Laser Lab and worked as an intern at both Garmin and Hickory Farms over the last few years. He graduated this month with a degree in Computer Science.
 
Lienert has been one of the top sprinters on the team throughout his three seasons at Rochester. He holds or is a part of four Rochester school records and finished the 2023 indoor season inside the top-30 across Division III in the 200 meters. He is a 4-time USTFCCCA All-Region honoree and is a 9-time All-Liberty League award winner. In 2023, the junior claimed a pair of Liberty League titles, coming indoors in the 400 meters and outdoors in the 4x100 meter relay.
 
In the classroom, Lienert is majoring in Optical Engineering and has earned Dean's List accolades several times throughout his career thus far. He is a 2-time Liberty League All-Academic honoree and a recipient of the UR Wilder Leadership Scholarship. He is minoring in Mechanical Engineering and Classics and is a member of the UR Optica Student Chapter. Lienert has spent time volunteering with the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program and Aspies for Social Success.
 
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on June 29.