Augustana's Academic All-America legacy grows
Three Viking student-athletes received CSC Academic All-America honors this summer, adding to Augustana College’s legacy of excellence in the classroom and in competition. Now with 191 Academic All-Americans, Augustana is ranked solidly among the nation’s top 15 colleges and universities.
Congratulations go to three-time DIII champion discus thrower Charlotte Frere ’26, water polo standout Mark Addison ’26, and track and field All-American Landon Wierenga ’27.
Together, they’ve earned national championships, conference titles and nearly flawless academic records, a powerful reflection of the dedication that defines the Augustana student-athlete experience.
Charlotte Frere '26 was named the Academic All-America NCAA Division III Women's Track and Field Team Member of the Year. She is a three-time Academic All-America First Team selection. The discus thrower is the first women's track and field student-athlete in program history to earn Academic All-America recognition in three consecutive years.
Frere, from Preemption, Ill., graduated in May with a 3.96 GPA while double majoring in biology and kinesiology, earning Dean’s List honors every semester.
In May, she capped off her remarkable career as a three-time NCAA DIII national champion in the discus, after capturing outdoor national titles in 2024 and 2025. She became the first student-athlete in program history to win three consecutive individual NCAA track and field national championships.
“After all the sacrifices and injuries, it is incredibly rewarding to have my hard work and dedication recognized through such a prestigious award."
Her list of honors continued to grow this summer, as she was named an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, was selected as the USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor National Field Athlete of the Year, and was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year.
Water polo's Mark Addison ’26 was named the Academic All-America NCAA DIII Men's At-Large Team Member of the Year. This is Addison’s second Academic All-America honor after receiving the distinction as a member of the Vikings' swimming and diving team in the spring.
Addison, from Eads, Tenn., graduated in May with a 3.99 GPA while triple majoring in accounting, business analytics, and business intelligence. As just the second men’s water polo student-athlete in program history to earn Academic All-America honors, he joins his brother, Joseph Addison ’23, in achieving the distinction.
“My brother is my best friend,” Addison said. I grew up doing everything with him whether it was music, sports or other activities. He showed me firsthand what it took to become an Academic All-American, and our brotherly competition played a part in pushing me to pursue the same goal. Because of that, it is really special to me that we both achieved one of the highest recognition in collegiate athletics.”
Addison helped lead the Vikings to a third-place finish at the USA Water Polo Division III National Championships in June. During the 2026 season, he totaled 53 goals, 25 assists and 27 steals in 27 games, earning Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) East All-Conference honors for the fourth consecutive year.
“The biggest surprise was the AAA Team Member of the Year,” Addison said. “After all the sacrifices and injuries, it is incredibly rewarding to have my hard work and dedication recognized through such a prestigious award.”
Addison says he achieved more than he imagined because of Augustana’s strong support system.
“I would not be where I am today if not for my coaches, teammates, professors and the athletic department administration who have made a difference in my life and are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others,” he said.
“Competing on the field and learning in the classroom are far more rewarding when you know that you have done everything possible to succeed.”
Landon Wierenga ’27, a triple major in finance, accounting and business analytics from Eureka, Ill., was named a Third Team Academic All-American, becoming the first Augustana men's track and field student-athlete to earn the distinction since Brandon Wilkerson ’19 in 2019. Wierenga carries a 4.00 GPA.
"This honor means a great deal to me,” Wierenga said. “It reflects not just the work I’ve put in academically, but also the discipline and time it takes to balance that with being an athlete. I owe a lot of it to my teammates. They’re the ones who showed up every day to practice and compete alongside me, and that shared commitment pushed me to hold myself to a higher standard to achieve my goals."
That commitment translated into one of the best seasons of Wierenga's career. He climbed as high as No. 2 in the nation in the hammer throw after recording a personal-best mark of 62.12 meters.
"I was proud of what I had accomplished and the growth I had shown over the last few competitions,” he said, “but I was mostly excited to see where the rest of the season would take me and how far I could push the limits of competition.”
Wierenga did push. He earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in both the hammer throw and discus, placed third in the discus at the CCIW Outdoor Championships and capped the year with Second Team All-America honors after an 11th-place finish in the discus at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships.
While the accolades will remain part of his legacy, Wierenga believes the habits he developed along the way have been just as meaningful. Reflecting on his journey, he knows exactly what advice he would offer the version of himself who arrived on campus four years ago.
"I would tell myself to focus and give 100% effort from day one,” he said. “Competing on the field and learning in the classroom are far more rewarding when you know that you have done everything possible to succeed.”
Augustana College's Athletics Communications provided background information for this article.