GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Recent Grove City College graduate Lydia Bennett (Bethel, Maine/Gould Academy) earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Division III Academic All-America honors Tuesday afternoon in recognition of her performance in the classroom and in the sports cross country and track and field.

Bennett concluded her decorated career this spring by earning national runner-up in the 1500 meters at the NCAA Division III Championships. She also earned All-America honors in the mile at the 2025 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships by placing seventh last March. 

Bennett also qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships during her senior season. She earned All-Region honors after placing second individually at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Championships last November.

Bennett set several indoor and outdoor program records during her four seasons at Grove City. Her indoor 500-meter time of 1 minute, 20.69 seconds ranks first in programs history, as do her times in the indoor 800 (2:15.14), mile (4:52.30) and indoor 3000 (10:07.87). She also set outdoor Grove City records in the 800 (2:12.72), 1500 (4:25.17) and 5000 (16:56.35).

She won indoor Presidents' Athletic Conference titles this year in the 800, mile, 3000 and 1600 relay. Bennett then won league titles in the outdoor 800, 1500 and 5000.

Bennett achieved All-Region three times in cross country and also merited First Team All-PAC three times.

The College honored Bennett as its Sportswoman of the Year for the 2023-24 academic year.

She graduated from Grove City in May with a bachelor's degree in communication arts. Bennett compiled a 3.92 cumulative grade-point average while earning Dean's List and Presidents' Athletic Conference Academic Honor Roll distinction.

Bennett also earned United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic recognition following the 2024 cross country campaign.

Bennett is the 55th all-time Academic All-American in school history. She is the fourth Grove City College women's cross country/track and field performer to earn Academic All-America status, joining Elisa Pedersen (2006), Mary Kate Breese (2012, 2013) and Emily Rabenold (2015, 2016).

Grove City has produced at least one Academic All-American in each of the last 23 years. Women's soccer standout Emma Herrmann (Hilton, N.Y./Paul V. Moore) earned Academic All-America honors last fall.

The 2024-25 academic year marks the 14th year that CSC (formerly CoSIDA, College Sports Information Directors of America) has based its Academic All-America program on individual divisions within college athletics. Currently, CSC honors student-athletes in NCAA Divisions I, II and III, along with a "College" division that includes NAIA institutions and junior colleges.

A student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.50 or higher cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or significant reserve to be nominated for the Academic All-America program.