DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced their honorees for Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Academic All-District and four UMass Dartmouth student-athletes were recognized. Senior
Ethan Sylvia, junior
Cameron Thompson and sophomores
Devin Nieves and
Mickey Valentino were all tabbed for their outstanding work in the classroom and in competition.
Sylvia, who hails from Attleboro, Mass., owns a 3.87 cumulative grade point average as a Computer Science major. During the cross country season, he competed in five meets for the Corsairs, highlighted by a 19th-place finish in the 5k at the George Suitor Invitational – which saw him post a time of 17:11.5.
During the track & field season, Sylvia ranked in the Top-50 in four events. In the indoor campaign, he was eighth overall as part of the Distance Medley Relay – which powered its way to a time of 10:37.78 at the DIII New England Championship – earning All-Region honors. He also placed 39th in the Northeast Region in the 5,000-meters with a mark of 15:37.79 – a time he achieved at the LEC Indoor Championships. Sylvia went on to place 27th in the region in the outdoor 10,000-meters with a time of 32:33.20, while placing 42nd in the 5000-m with a time of 15:29.14.
Thompson, a native of Sherborn, Mass., has a 3.88 cumulative GPA as a Photography major. A captain during the cross country season, he became the first Corsair in 23 years to qualify for the NCAA Championships, garnering All-Region and All-LEC First Team honors along the way. He finished third at the LEC meet (25:24.0) and was 15th at Regionals (25:04.3) before posting 236th at Nationals (26:18.9).
The track & field season was also successful for Thompson – who ranked Top-38 in five different events across the campaign. During the indoor season, he was 16th in the Northeast in the Mile with a time of 4:13.01. He also placed 21st in the 3,000-meters with a time of 8:35.67. He was also a part of the 4x800-meter relay team that won in a time of 8:10.37 for First Team honors at the LEC Indoor Championships.
Thompson went on to rank seventh in the Northeast in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, posting a collegiate-best time of 9:26.82 to take second overall at the DIII New England Championships in just his second time running the event. He also ranked 15th in the 1500-meters with a time of 3:54.92 – achieving the feat at the Sean Collier Invitational, while finishing 38th in the 5000-meters with a time of 15:26.24. He garnered All-LEC First Team honors in the 1500-meters and the 4x800-meter relay, while earning All-Region in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase.
Nieves, who is from Saugus, Mass., owns a 4.00 cumulative grade point average as a Finance major. The Corsairs pole vaulter finished in the Top-40 during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. In the indoor campaign, Nieves was 40th in the Northeast with a height of 3.40 meters (11' 1.75") – a mark he posted at the Little East Championships.
During the outdoor season, Nieves placed 30th in the region with a height of 3.70 meters (12' 1.5"). He posted that mark – which was a career-best – at the Little East Outdoor Championships as he placed eighth overall.
Valentino, a native of North Andover, Mass., has a 3.87 cumulative grade point average as an Accounting major. It was a solid sophomore season as he placed Top-33 in the region in four events throughout the season, while garnering All-LEC Third Team in the outdoor shot put. During the indoor season, he placed ninth overall in the region in the shot put with a throw of 14.38 meters (47' 2.25") – a mark he achieved at the LEC Championships.
Additionally, Valentino was 33rd overall in the weight throw with a mark of 13.31 meters (43' 8") which he recorded at the Gordon Kelly Invite. During the outdoor season, he was 10th overall in the shot put with a mark of 14.56 meters (47' 9.25), garnering third place at the Little East Championships for his first All-Conference honor. He was also 16th in the Northeast in the hammer throw with a distance of 46.27 meters (151' 10") – also achieved at the LEC Championships.
UMass Dartmouth claimed victory at the Little East Championships for the outdoor season – earning their fourth title since 2022 and sixth in program history. The Corsairs went on to place second overall at the DIII New England Championships, while two student-athletes competed at the 2026 NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships. The Corsairs' cross country team finished fifth overall at the LEC Championships, going on to place 10th overall at the NCAA East Regionals, while Thompson represented the squad at the NCAA Championships.
