CALIFORNIA (July 16) – California (PA) senior
Noah Bernarding was chosen a Third-Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) for the second-straight year on Wednesday afternoon.
Bernarding joins Aaron Dinzeo, a 2025 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, as the only men's track & field/cross country student-athletes to earn Academic All-America laurels in back-to-back seasons. The Vulcans have featured an Academic All-American three times in the last four years and 11 times in program history – all since 2009.
A 2024 NCAA All-American, Bernarding captured the outdoor league title in the 800-meter run at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships in 2025 after finishing third overall at the league's cross country championships during the fall. He also earned All-PSAC status in the 800 meters during the indoor campaign by placed third at the conference meet.
Bernarding broke his own outdoor school record in the 800 meters in early May with a time of 1 minute, 50.47 seconds while competing at Princeton. He closed his career as the school's indoor and outdoor record holder in both the 800-meter run and 1,500-meter run. Bernarding was selected both the PSAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Atlantic Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2024.
In cross country, Bernarding closed his career as a rare five-time All-PSAC honoree and also earned USTFCCCA all-region laurels in each of the last two years. He won a pair of individual league titles in his track & field career and garnered All-PSAC status a combined seven times, including four times in the 800 meters. Bernarding merited USTFCCCA all-region accolades eight times in his track & field career, which is tied for the second-most in school history.
Bernarding holds a 3.81 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) while pursuing his master's degree in counseling with a concentration in clinical mental health. He earned his bachelor's degree from PennWest in May 2024 while holding a 3.86 cumulative GPA.
