DEARBORN, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn men's cross country team had its best season in program history in 2019 and picked up two postseason awards last week.

Sophomore Ryan Exell and senior Jared Zella were both named to the 2019-20 College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District® Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Team, it was announced Thursday. The award is the first for both student-athletes.

The 2019-20 CoSIDA Academic All-District® Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Team, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in the athletic realm and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America® program separately recognizes outstanding student-athletes in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.

Exell, from Canton, Mich., earned a second straight trip to the NAIA National Championships in 2019 as he guided the Wolverines to their first national ranking and the team's best finish at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championship. He holds the UM-Dearborn record for 8K time and is the 2018 WHAC Newcomer of the Year. Exell was on the All-WHAC First Team in 2019.

Zella, from Canton, Mich., is a four-year member of the Wolverine team. He is a two-time WHAC All-Academic Team member and two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

Both Exell and Zella will move on to the CoSIDA Academic All-American voting. The results will be announced in the coming weeks.