Philadelphia, Pa. – (12/10/2025) – Gwynedd Mercy University senior Sebastian DeSimone (West Orange, N.J.) was the only repeat recipient on the 2025 Philadelphia Area Sports Information Directors Association (Philly-SIDA) Men's Cross Country Academic All-Area Team (.PDF) as the Red and Gold's elder statesman celebrated his second straight selection by the sports information directors for 30 Philadelphia-Area institutions. Rutgers University – Camden junior Jacob Dinerman (Haddon Township, N.J.) was selected as the 2025 Philly-SIDA Men's Cross Country Academic All-Area Performer of the Year.
 
DeSimone and Dinerman were joined on the 2025 Philadelphia Area Sports Information Directors Association (Philly-SIDA) Men's Cross Country Academic All-Area Team by Rowan University graduate Matthew Conway (Haddon Township, N.J.), Eastern University senior Ryle Mellinger (Glen Mills, Pa.), Swarthmore College junior Cohen Manges (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), Williamson College of the Trades junior Bryan Hernandez (Bridgeton, N.J.), and a trio of Fords from Haverford College; juniors Owen Bluman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Torin Pelton-Flavin (Newtown, Mass.), and senior Micah Lachman (Bethesda, Md.)
 
DeSimone's swag song was a steady improvement from begging to end as the heart of the Red and Gold enjoyed a five-kilometer (5k) personal-record at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Blue and Gold Invitational with a time of 18:46.1 (35^th) and later, an 8K personal-record of 29:22.0 (277^th) at Rowan University's Border Battle (Oct. 18). The pinnacle of the season came with an All-Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Second Team performance in the league championship; 11^th (31:21.7). He placed 18^th in both the 2023 (18^th, 31:57.5) and 2024 (18^th, 30:45.2) AEC Championships, as well as 24^th (32:27.4) in 2022.
 
Academically, DeSimone is a three-time member of the AEC All-Academic Team (2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025) and a six-time member of the Gwynedd Mercy University Athletics Academic Elite (S2025, F2024, S2024, F2023, S2023, F2022), who also earned recognition on the 2024-2025 Eastern Athletic Communications Association (EAST-COMM) Academic Honor Roll. As a freshman (2021), DeSimone made an appearance on Good Morning America highlighting his role in the creation of an NCAA waiver that allows students with intellectual disabilities to compete in intercollegiate athletics.
 
The 2025 Philly-SIDA Men's Cross Country Academic All-Area Team (.PDF) is available using the provided links and listed below;
 
2025 Philly-SIDA Men's Cross Country Academic All-Area Team
 

Student-Athlete	Class	School	Major	Hometown
Owen Bluman	Jr.	Haverford College	Computer Science	Pittsburgh, Pa.
Matthew Conway	Gr.	Rowan University	Chemical Engineering	Haddon Twp., N.J.
Sebastian DeSimone	Sr.	Gwynedd Mercy University	Integrated Studies	West Orange, N.J.
Jacob Dinerman	Jr.	Rutgers University-Camden	Liberal Studies	Haddon Twp., N.J.
Bryan Hernandez	Jr.	Williamson College of the Trades	Electrical	Bridgeton, N.J.
Micah Lachman	Sr.	Haverford College	Physics	Bethesda, Md.
Cohen Manges	Jr.	Swarthmore College	Biology/Computer Science	Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Ryle Mellinger	Sr.	Eastern University	English	Glen Mills, Pa.
Torin Pelton-Flavin	Jr.	Haverford College	Comp. Sci./Mathematics	Newtown, Mass.
Performer of the Year: Jacob Dinerman (Rutgers University-Camden)