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Eight `Runners Earn Academic All-District Honors

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The 2026 Academic All-District® teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. Cal State Bakersfield excitedly announces eight Roadrunner scholar-athletes who earned the distinction on Tuesday as part of the At-Large program.

The CSC At-Large program seeks to honor student-athletes from a wide range of sports while holding to one of the highest standards of competitive and academic success across all national recognitions. Institutions are able to nominate a maximum of six men and six women total from the list of sports. Of the sports on the At-Large list, Cal State Bakersfield sponsors wrestling, beach volleyball, and women's golf.

Men

Santino Sanchez and Chris Neal have both earned Academic All-District honors once again, marking the fourth-straight year at least one CSUB wrestler has earned the nod. Sanchez, who hails from Whittier, Calif., is a back-to-back-to-back honoree as he continued his role as one of Bakersfield's primary starters, this season at 141 pounds. He has maintained a 3.67 cumulative GPA as a business administration major.

Neal continued to be one of CSUB's most diverse tools this season, wrestling across two different weight classes as the team needed. The selfless student-athlete excels in the classroom as well, boasting a 3.68 GPA in his business administration studies.

Women

The `Runner women are represented by a pair of golfers and four CSUB beach volleyball student-athletes.

Senior golfer Sarah Mutai picked up her third-straight Academic All-District nod after earning the honor in the previous two seasons. Mutai graduates from Cal State Bakersfield as the top performer in program history. Mutai also owns a 3.75 cumulative GPA as a kinesiology major.

Joining Mutai from the golf ranks is sophomore Anna Kehrer. The native of Sweden was a consistent contributer in the CSUB lineup while maintaining a 3.96 cumulative GPA in her psychology studies.
 
From the `Runner beach volleyball team, Ella Ensign and Vivi Kaelin each return as repeat honorees from 2025. Ensign and Kaelin were each team leaders in terms of win percentage while Kaelin wrapped up her CSUB career as the program's all-time wins leader. Ensign holds a 3.68 GPA as a kinesiology major while Kaelin graduated in just three years with a degree in business administration.

Also representing CSUB Beach Volleyball on the Academic All-District list Erika Markentin and Olivia Silacci-Jensen. A junior studying kniesiology, Silacci-Jensen was a mainstay at the top flight for the `Runners this season and she holds a 3.77 cumulative GPA. Her partner was Markentin, a sophomore who helped hold down CSUB's No. 1 pairing while boasting a 3.94 GPA in psychology.

Academic All-District and All-America

Nominated student-athletes must meet minimum athletic requirements, varying depending on the sport. Academically, candidates must maintain at least a 3.50 GPA, one of the highest benchmarks for national recognitions.

Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information about CSC Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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Players Mentioned

Anna Kehrer

Anna Kehrer

5' 5"
Sophomore
Sarah Mutai

Sarah Mutai

5' 4"
Senior
Chris Neal

Chris Neal

184
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
He/Him/His
Santino Sanchez

Santino Sanchez

133/141
5' 7"
Redshirt Junior
Ella Ensign

#13 Ella Ensign

5' 7"
Junior
Vivi Kaelin

#14 Vivi Kaelin

5' 9"
Junior
Erika Markentin

#8 Erika Markentin

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
Olivia Silacci-Jensen

#12 Olivia Silacci-Jensen

5' 10"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Anna Kehrer

Anna Kehrer

5' 5"
Sophomore
Sarah Mutai

Sarah Mutai

5' 4"
Senior
Chris Neal

Chris Neal

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
He/Him/His
184
Santino Sanchez

Santino Sanchez

5' 7"
Redshirt Junior
133/141
Ella Ensign

#13 Ella Ensign

5' 7"
Junior
Vivi Kaelin

#14 Vivi Kaelin

5' 9"
Junior
Erika Markentin

#8 Erika Markentin

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
Olivia Silacci-Jensen

#12 Olivia Silacci-Jensen

5' 10"
Junior
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