Forbes Selected to CSC Academic All-America First-Team
AUSTIN, Texas – Sophomore pole vaulter Josh Forbes was recently named to the 2024 Academic All-America First-Team, as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC).
CSC announced its Academic All-America Teams for men's cross country and track and field athletes across all collegiate levels recently, with only 0.6 percent of athletes in those sports earning the distinction. Of that group, just 21 total NAIA athletes garnered the prestigious title of Academic All-American.
Forbes, who exclusively pole vaults on the Taylor track and field squad, earned NAIA All-American honors during both the 2023-2024 indoor and outdoor seasons. The sophomore finished runner-up at the NAIA Indoor National Championships before concluding the spring sports season at TU with a fifth-place showing at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships. He cleared a height of 5.00 meters in both championships, marks that are Forbes' personal bests.
Those NAIA Championship performances capped off seasons in which Forbes earned a plethora of A-standard results, including second-place finishes in the pole vault at both the Crossroads League Indoor and Outdoor Championships that gave him all-league honors.
Combined with his All-American pole vault accolades, Forbes' 3.88 GPA in the classroom as a computer science major exceeds the 3.83 average among the 11 CSC Academic All-America First-Team members. Perhaps more impressively, the Fishers, Indiana, native is one of three sophomore men who can claim the title of CSC NAIA Academic All-American among cross country/track and field athletes.
Taylor student-athletes have combined for 139 CSC Academic All-American honors in school history, with 137 of those awards coming since 2010. The TU men's cross country and track and field programs have accounted for 19 Academic All-Americans, including nine first-team picks.
Forbes' selection, combined with recent women's track & field/cross country award winners, gives Taylor athletics six CSC Academic All-Americans in the 2023-2024 year.
The CSC Academic All-American distinction is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements both in the classroom and on the field. Minimum requirements to be considered for the 2023-2024 Academic All-America program include achieving sophomore status academically, maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher and meeting certain performance thresholds in athletes' respective events.