INDIANAPOLIS (11/19/2025) -- Showing their true dedication as student-athletes, University of Detroit Mercy graduate senior Nina Pizzo and senior Joshua Otten were named to the Valeo Horizon League All-Academic Teams for cross country. 

A total of 17 student-athletes were named to the All-Academic Team, while eight more were selected as honorable mentions in balloting by the League's faculty athletic representatives.

Pizzo earns the honor for the first time in her career, while it is the third-straight season that Otten took home the award in cross country to go with the two indoor and one outdoor accolade he has also garnered. 

Pizzo graduated with a degree in Bio-Chemistry and is now taking graduate classes in Health Administration. She led the Titans in all six races on the year and was Second Team All-Horizon League after posting a 6k career-best 21:38 for 14th at the HL Championships, ranking fifth in the Titan record book. On the season, she also recorded two top-10 efforts, four top 20's, taking a silver at Oakland in 18:53 and bronze at Canisius in 17:59, just the seventh Titan in school history to break 18 minutes in the 5k. 

An English and Political Science major, Otten topped the Titans in four of the six events and was First Team All-Horizon League, earning a bronze in a career-best 23:55, just one second shy of the school record, at the HL meet. He was runner-up at Oakland and at Canisius and ninth at Notre Dame's National Catholic Invitational. 

The Horizon League recognizes student-athletes with seasonal Academic All-League teams in each of its 19 championship sports. The 2025 Valeo #HLXC All-Academic Teams and honorable mentions are comprised of student-athletes from ten League institutions.

To be eligible for the Horizon League All-Academic consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale), have completed at least one year at the member institution, having earned 24 semester-hour or 36 quarter-hour credits, and participated in 50 percent of the team's overall contests. An Honorable Mention is awarded to student-athletes who received at least 25 percent of votes, but did not make the All-Academic team.