SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Five Union College student-athletes were honored for their work in competition and in the classroom with spots on the 2023 CSC Academic All-District Men's and Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators and announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Senior Denesha Lafontant, junior Allison Malatesta and sophomore Cat Dacey were recognized from the women's cross country and track & field teams, while senior Ronan Coughlin and sophomore Ben Neff received the honor from the men's side.
 
To be nominated for College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must be a significant contributor to their team, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher, and reach sophomore athletic and academic standing at the school. All Academic All-District honorees automatically advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot, the results of which will be announced in late June.

Dacey was an All-Liberty League performer in both cross country and track for Union this year. In the fall, she became the women's cross country team's first All-League honoree since 2009 with an honorable mention spot and was the team's top finisher in every meet. The neuroscience major broke the school record in the 1500 meters at the Liberty League Outdoor Championships and finished the year with five top-six finishes at the conference indoor and outdoor championships.
 
Lafontant finished her stellar career holding three separate school records as Union's all-time leader in both the indoor and outdoor triple jump as well as the outdoor long jump. The senior captain, who also was a four-year member of the women's volleyball team at Union and is a sociology and biology ID major, earned five All-Liberty League honors during her career.
 
Malatesta also took down a school record for Union during the outdoor season, setting a new standard in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the AARTFC Outdoor Championships. The biology major was the team's top steeplechase runner this year and also ran the 800 meters during the indoor season.
 
Neff was part of two record-breaking performances on the track this year for Union. During the indoor season, he helped the distance medley relay team to a school record at the David Hemery Invitational and a second-place finish at the AARTFC Indoor Championships. Outdoors, he had the team's top 800-meter time of the year and helped break the school record in the 4x800 relay with a second-place finish at the AARTFC Outdoor Championships.
 
Coughlin battled through injuries to captain the cross country and track teams for the second straight season in 2022-23, qualifying for the conference championships for the fourth straight year. He primarily ran the 1,500 meters outdoors and the mile indoors as a senior, and the biology major was also named to Phi Beta Kappa as a senior.

With the five honorees, Union student-athletes have now earned 166 Academic All-District honors since 2001, with Union having at least four honorees in all but one year since 2004.