Chestnut Hill College Men's Track and Field  athlete Michael Lopez-Zabala has been named to the 2025-2026 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Men's Track and Field/Cross Country team in an announcement made by the organization and the CSC Academic All-America® committee.

Lopez-Zabala earns CSC Academic All-District® Men's Track and Field/Cross Country team honors for the second consecutive season.

The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field or court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes Men's Track and Field/Cross Country honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

To be eligible for Academic All-District® Track and Field/Cross Country accolades, student-athletes must be at least at sophomore athletically and academically, have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or better and record at least one top 50 individual performance in their respective region in either cross country, indoor track or outdoor track. Eligible nominees will be based off of TFRRS performance list rankings at the time of nomination. Graduate students must have a 3.50 cumulative GPA in both their undergraduate and graduate programs.

Lopez-Zabala  competed in the javelin throw event throughout his collegial career as a Griffin.  In his final meet, the Central Atlantic Collegiate conference Championship, he broke the school record  with a toss of 46.26 meters (151'9"), placing third in the event and earning a #16 ranking on the Division II East Region Performance List.

A senior biology major Lopez-Zabala is a two-time CACC All-Academic Team honoree and a two time D2 ADA Academic achievement award winner.  He was inducted into Chi Alpha sigma, the national college athlete honor society and  Sigma Zeta, the national science and mathematics honor society in 2025.  He is also part of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program at Chestnut Hill and has earned Departmental Honors for his major.  In addition, he was named to the CACC Academic Honor roll in each of the past five semesters dating back to the program's inaugural in Fall of 2023.

Academic All-District® honorees are reviewed by a group of Academic All-America® committee members for consideration for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® national ballot, where first, second and third team Academic All-America® honorees are chosen by the CSC Division II membership and the Academic All-America® core committee.