The Youngstown State men's track and field team placed a league-high six student-athletes on the 2025 Valeo Men's Indoor #HLTF All-Academic Team, the conference announced on Thursday.
YSU student-athletes receiving honors were Hunter Christopher, Tobias Jones, Coleson Kertesz, Lukas Lang, Ryan Meadows and Mason Stephens.
All six played key roles in the Penguins winning their 10th consecutive Indoor Horizon League title earlier this month. Christopher, Lang and Meadows all won events while Jones and Kertesz each had top three finishes.
Meadows leads the group earning Academic indoor honors for the third time in his career. He is just the sixth YSU men's track and field student-athlete to be named to the team on three occasions.
Christopher is the first runner in Horizon League history to win three straight 5,000m championships after he clocked a winning time of 14:26.27 at the league meet. He lowered his school record in the 3000m with a time of 7:57.07 at the BU David Hemery Valetine Invitational and also lowered his school record in the 5000m with a time of 13:39.45 at the BU Sharon-Coyer Danville Season Opener.
Jones posted two top three finishes at the Horizon League Indoor Championships. He finished third in the 5,000m and third in the 3,000m, both with personal-best finishes. He set indoor lifetime bests in the mile, 3000m and 5000m during the indoor season.
Kertesz finished third in the weight throw at the Horizon League Championships with a personal-best throw. He also placed fourth in the shot put at the Horizon League Championships and was the only thrower to finish in the top four in both events at the HL meet. He placed in the top five in all nine throwing events he competed in during the year.
Lang won his first Horizon League Indoor Championship in the pole vault. He cleared a personal-best height of 5.10m at the HL meet. Lang placed second or better in six of seven indoor meets in the event.
Meadows won his second consecutive Horizon League 3,000m title, clocking a winning time 8:28.37 in the 3000m. He also placed second in the 5,000m at the HL Championships after battling illness prior to the meet. During the year, he set a lifetime best of 8:04.68 in the 3000m at the BU David Hemery Valetine Invitational.
Stephens finished sixth in the high jump at the HL Championships. He had a lifetime best clearance of 2.09m at the Mount Union Tuneup, which ranks fourth in school history. During the year, he won the high jump at the YSU Collegiate Invitational of 2.02m.
2025 Valeo Men's Indoor #HLTF All-Academic Team
Simon Jones, Detroit Mercy
Joshua Neary, Detroit Mercy
Joshua Otten, Detroit Mercy
Colton O'Hara, Northern Kentucky
Logan Detweiler, Oakland
Carter McCalister, Oakland
Owen Kaufman, Purdue Fort Wayne
Nathan Mills, Purdue Fort Wayne
Nicholas Mils, Purdue Fort Wayne
Harrison Niswander, Purdue Fort Wayne
Patrick Statzer, Wright State
Hunter Christopher, Youngstown State
Tobias Jones, Youngstown State
Coleson Kertesz, Youngstown State
Lukas Lang, Youngstown State
Ryan Meadows, Youngstown State
Mason Stephens, Youngstown State
