AUSTIN, Texas - For the second-straight season, Northwest Nazarene track & field's Laurenz Waldbauer has been named an Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Waldbauer was selected to the First Team for Division II, just the second student-athlete in NNU's Division II history to earn First Team recognition. He joins Erik Anderson from the men's soccer program, who earned his First Team Academic All-America honor in 2015.

Waldbauer is also one of just 15 Northwest Nazarene student-athletes to earn Academic All-America accolades, and one of just three to be named an Academic All-American multiple times with his Second Team honor in 2024. He joins the prestigious trio that also includes Bethany Danner of women's track & field (Second Team in 2020, Third Team in 2021) and NNU's only three-time honoree, Lorenzo Valentini of men's soccer (Third Team in 2020, Third Team in 2021, Second Team in 2022).

Academic All-American voting considers both academic and athletic accomplishments for its criteria. Waldbauer is one of 17 honorees on the DII teams to have a perfect 4.00 GPA, doing so in Global Business. He also earned the very prestigious NCAA Elite 90 Award this season for men's outdoor track & field, presented to the athlete with the highest GPA competing at a national championships event.

Athletically, he made Northwest Nazarene history as just the seventh men's DII Outdoor All-American for the program, finishing as the runner-up in javelin. Only Payton Lewis' national title in the pole vault in 2017 and Josh Heidegger's runner-up finish in the javelin in 2009 are higher or equal finishes.