ROLLA, Mo. – Owen Fraser (Kirksville, MO/Kirksville) has earned numerous accolades during the 2025-26 school year for his performances on the field and in the classroom.  On Wednesday, he added yet another major honor to his mantle as the College Sports Communicators named him as its Academic All-America of the Year for NCAA Division II.

Fraser, the NCAA Division II national champion in the indoor shot put in 2026, was selected from among the 16 Academic All-America of the Year recipients from each of the programs in which CSC selects an Academic All-America program and is the first from Missouri S&T to earn the top honor for an academic year.  It is also the first time a student-athlete from a Great Lakes Valley Conference institution has won the overall award.

"Successful academic and athletic performances are quite similar; both require many hours of hard work and preparation," Fraser said.  "Although I might be the one in the ring or the one that takes a test, there are always teammates, classmates, coaches, and professors that have been there for me in my journey. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to them, as well as my family, who have supported me along the way."

"I couldn't be more proud of Owen and all that he has accomplished," said Missouri S&T Director of Athletics Melissa Ringhausen. "Becoming Missouri S&T's first CSC Overall Academic All-American of the Year is a historic moment for our department and there could not have been a better person to earn this prestigious national honor.

"His incredible work ethic and unwavering commitment to excellence have led to extraordinary academic and athletic success," Ringhausen added.  "Even more impressive are his humility, integrity, and genuine care for others, which have earned the admiration and respect of his teammates, coaches, faculty, and peers, making him a true representative of the very best of Missouri S&T."

Fraser won his national title in the shot put in March – the second national title of his career as he also won the discus throw at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships – on the same weekend in which he was selected as the winner of the NCAA's Elite 90 Award for men's indoor track & field.  Fraser also earned first-team All-America honors in the weight throw by placing sixth, helping S&T record its highest-ever finish in program history at a national championship event.

Prior to the national indoor meet, Fraser set a new Great Lakes Valley Conference record with a mark of 17.94 meters (58-10 ¼ ) to win the shot put competition at the GLVC Indoor Championships and also placed second in the weight throw with a toss of 20.69 meters (67-10 ¾).  He set school records in both events during the season, with marks of 19.37 meters (63-7¾) in the shot put and 20.98 meters (68-10) at the national meet in the weight throw.

His winning mark at the national meet in the shot put – 19.25 meters (63-2) – is the second-best performance in program history.

After becoming the second Miner to ever receive the Elite 90 Award, Fraser was awarded three more academic honors by the GLVC in June.  He was named to the conference's all-academic team and to the Brother James Gaffney Distinguished Scholar list for a 4.0 grade point average, marking the fourth time in his career that he has made both of those lists.  The third award was being selected as the GLVC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men's track & field for the third year in succession.

The honors didn't end there, as Fraser was named to CSC's Academic All-District team prior to earning first-team Academic All-America honors for the second straight season; he also earned second-team honors from the organization following the 2023-24 campaign.

Last week, Fraser landed two additional academic honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, highlighted with his selection as the USTFCCCA's Men's Indoor Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  Fraser, who won that organization's Outdoor Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor in 2025, was also among seven Miners named on that organization's all-academic team for the 2025-26 season.

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