A-State’s Pascoe, Vandeput Tabbed CoSIDA Academic All-District

A pair of Arkansas State track and field standouts were honored for their success in competition and in the classroom on Thursday, as A-State’s Bennett Pascoe and Babette Vandeput received Academic All-District honors by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The honor recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Pascoe and Vandeput was named to the First Team for District 6, which includes Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming, and now advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot. CoSIDA will unveil first, second and third-team All-America honorees for Division I August 12.

Pascoe’s honor is yet another in his illustrious career. The biotechnology major from Conway, Arkansas, totaled four conference championships in the 2020-21 track and field and cross country seasons. Pascoe became the first A-State men’s runner to win the overall cross country crown, while winning gold indoors in the DMR and in the 1500m and steeplechase outdoors.

The steeplechase is where Pascoe stood out the most, taking down the school record in the event multiple times and earning Second Team All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships before competing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the event.

Vandeput capped off her A-State career with a bang, capturing her second gold medal at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in the discus. The Belgian finished her tenure as a Red Wolf with three medals in the event, finishing no lower than second in all three conference outdoor meets in which she competed.

On the international stage, Vandeput was just as stellar, recently winning gold at the Belgian Championships in June. She finished her career ranked third all-time at A-State in the discus with a collegiate-best throw measuring 53.78m (176-5.0). Vandeput graduated in the spring with her degree in mechanical engineering.