COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced the 2026 Outdoor Women's Track & Field Academic All-RMAC Team and the RMAC Academic Honor Roll on Monday afternoon. The league recognized 25 individuals as First Team Academic All-RMAC and in total 199 received RMAC Academic Honor Roll recognition. The Black Hills State University women's track & field team saw both Cassidy Goddard and Payton Sheehan named First Team Academic All-RMAC, while they were also joined by 15 teammates on the RMAC Academic Honor Roll.
Goddard, a sophomore thrower from Haxtun, Colorado, concluded her second season in Spearfish with a trip to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships where she earned Honorable Mention All-American honors with an 18th place finish and throw of 43.52m (142' 9") in the discus. She ended the year with the No. 1 mark in the RMAC, No. 2 mark in school history, No. 3 mark in the South Central Region, and the No. 16 mark in NCAA Division II, recording a throw of 49.24m (161' 6") at the UMary Last Chance to secure her spot at nationals. While only qualifying in the discus for the national championships, she did also notch an NCAA Provisional mark in the hammer throw earlier this season, ranking 30th nationally in the event with a mark of 53.84m (176' 8") at the Mines Midweek & Multi, which ties for fifth in school history. At the RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships she earned First Team All-RMAC honors in the hammer throw with a third place finish and mark of 53.05m (174' 0"), while also finishing 11th in the discus throw with a mark of 40.38m (132' 6"). Goddard earned six individual event titles in the hammer and discus throw in the outdoor season and added eight top-3 finishes, nine top-5 finishes, and 13 top-10 finishes. She is currently pursuing a degree in exercise science.
Sheehan, a sophomore distance runner from Calgary, Canada, competed in three meets during the outdoor season for the Yellow Jackets, posting career-best times in both the 800m run and the 1,500m run. Her first career-best time occurred in her outdoor season debut, clocking a time of 5:14.22 for 16th place in the 1,500m run at the PLNU Sea Lion Invite. Her second career-best time occurred in the 800m run at the Grubby's Easter Classic, notching a fourth place finish and time of 2:37.64. She tallied the one top-5 finish and two top-10 finishes during the season.
Joining Goddard and Sheehan as selections on the RMAC Academic Honor Roll include Gretchen Adamski, Saraya Afrank, Lauryn Bennett, Evie Boyd, Alyssa Brandt, Alessandra Broussard, Hope Bryant, Sierra Hopp, Brekkan Lockart, Abigail Robberson, Hanah Sullivan, Morgan Sumption, Alivia Weathers, Erin Weibel, and Gracie Wilts.
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Academic Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes in each conference-sponsored sport who academically maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average, have completed two consecutive semesters at their current institution, and have used a season of competition.
Each institution's athletic communications directors nominate student-athletes who academically maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, along with the other criteria for the Academic Honor Roll, for recognition on the First Team Academic All-RMAC in each sport. The league's athletic communications directors for that sport vote to compose the First Team Academic All-RMAC and select the Academic Player of the Year. They are not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes.
