University of Rochester women's track & field seniors Megan Bell, Ellie Ponko and Cora Rose, and sophomores Nora Chen and Eva Ciuffetelli were selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Women's Track & Field and Cross Country Academic All-District Team, as announced by the CSC on Tuesday.
 
The 2024-25 CSC Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Track & Field and Cross Country Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and rank in the Top 50 in the region in a single, individual event on the TFRRS performance lists, or have had a Top-50 individual performance at a 2024 NCAA Cross Country Regional.
 
Ranked in the top 50 in the Niagara Region in nine events, Bell delivered another spectacular season as a senior, earning four First-Team All-America honors across the 2024-25 campaign. Indoors, the senior ranked in the top 50 in the Niagara Region in the 400 and 800 meters as an individual, and the 4x400m and DMU relays, while outdoors, Bell finished in the top 50 in the region in the 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 meters, as well as the 4x400m relay. Bell also finished in the top 50 nationally on the Division III Qualifying Lists in eight events and took home seven USTFCCCA All-Region honors across the indoor and outdoor seasons, as well as seven All-Liberty League accolades.
 
A biomedical engineering major, Bell is a three-time Liberty League All-Academic selection, a two-time CSC Academic All-American and All-District honoree, a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection and received both Lysle 'Spike' Garnish Scholar-Athlete honors, as well as UR's Merle Spurrier Award, this academic year. On the River Campus, Bell served as President of Tau Beta Pi, was a member of Alpha Eta Mu Beta, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. The Wynantskill, NY native also received both the Biomedical Engineering Outstanding Senior Award and Tau Beta Pi Prize, and plans to attend graduate school at Boston University this fall to pursue a master's in Biomedical Engineering.
 
In addition to ranking in the top 50 in the region in four events, Ellie Ponko finished 10th at the Niagara Region Cross Country Championships on Nov. 16, earning USTFCCCA All-Region honors and a berth to the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, where she placed 210th. On the track, Ponko competed in the distance events, ranking 14th in the mile, 17th in the 5,000 meters, 18th in the 3,000 meters and 35th in the 1,500 meters. Ponko was also UR's top finisher at the UAA Cross Country Championships, running a new, personal-best 6k time of 22:33.0.
 
Ponko majored in general biology with a minor in Spanish and was a three-time All-Academic honoree by both the UAA and Liberty League, in addition to earning USTFCCCA All-Academic honors this past fall. Over the past three years, Ponko did research at URMC, working in the Jarvinen-Seppo Lab in Strong's Pediatric Allergy Department, and was also a NICU Volunteer through Friends of Strong. A member of Rochester's VSAAC, Ponk graduated cum laude and plans on attending medical school.
 
The 2025 Liberty League Outdoor Field Performer of the Meet, Rose helped the Yellowjackets clinch their fourth-straight outdoor title with a pair of event wins, earning five All-Liberty League honors over the course of the 2024-25 track & field season. The senior finished in the top 50 in the Niagara Region in five events, ranking third indoors in the shot put and 13th in the weight throw, while outdoors, Rose ranked second in the discus, seventh in the hammer throw and eighth in the shot put. Rose also ranked in the top 50 in NCAA DIII in the shot put indoors and discus outdoors, earning a pair of USTFCCCA All-Region honors.
 
A three-time Liberty League All-Academic selection and a one-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree, Rose graduated with a degree in general biology and is attending the Warner School of Education to earn her master's in childhood education. On campus, Rose was involved in the STEM Initiative, acting as the curriculum chair for two years, and received the MRTRC Residency for working in a school district, co-teaching four days out of the week and acting as a building substitute for the fifth.
 
Chen notched nine top 50 marks in the Niagara Region this season, including four that ranked on the NCAA Division III Qualifying Lists. The sophomore ranked 11th in Division III in the 4x400m relay and 20th in the 400 meters indoors, as well as third in DIII in the 400-meter hurdles and fourth in the 4x400m relay outdoors, in addition to ranking in the top 50 in the region indoors in the 200 and 400 meters and 60-meter hurdles, and outdoors in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. In total, this year, Chen earned four USTFCCCA All-America honors, five USTFCCCA All-Region accolades and six All-Liberty League selections.
 
Off the track, Chen is double majoring in psychology and brain and cognitive sciences, and does research with Dr. Karl Rosengren in Meliora Hall. The Wallingford, PA native earned Liberty League All-Academic honors this year, and received the Hugh MacKenzie Memorial Prize in 2024, as well as the Schwartz Discovery Grant in 2025. Following her graduation in two years, Chen plans on attending graduate school to study clinical psychology.
 
Ciuffetelli scored a pair of All-America honors with the Yellowjackets this season in the indoor and outdoor 4x400-meter relay, and ranked in the top 50 in the Niagara Region in six events, as well as nationally in three. The sophomore and 2025 Liberty League Outdoor Rookie of the Year finished in the top 50 indoors in the 4x400m relay (1st), 400 meters (11th) and 200 meters (43rd), and outdoors in the 4x400m relay (1st), 400-meter hurdles (3rd) and 400 meters (8th). This season, Ciuffetelli was a three-time All-Liberty League and a two-time All-Region honoree, and earned seven conference weekly honors.
 
The sophomore is a chemical engineering major with a minor in environmental engineering and earned Liberty League All-Academic honors for her efforts in the classroom. On campus, Ciuffetelli is a member of the Grand Challenges Scholar Program, President of Sustainability through Engineering, a peer mentor for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Deputy Secretary of Sustainability in UR's Student Government. Ciuffetelli also began conducting research with Dr. Porosoff in the Chemical Engineering Department this past fall and was selected to be in the first cohort of the Sustainability Scholar Program.
 
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes men's and women's track & field and cross country honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.