Complete 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Teams
Graduate students Nathan Brown of the University of Wisconsin and Fritz Nugent of the University of Redlands (Calif.) earned top honors on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Brown, a medical school student from Madison, Wis. who carries a 3.98 grade point average, is a three–time ESPN The Magazine Academic All–American (2005–07). He is a four–time NCAA Championship qualifier in the heptathlon (indoor) and decathlon (outdoor) and was the 2006 Big 10 Conference champion in both events. He aso earned Academic All–Big 10 honors four times.
Nugent, a Tinley Park, Ill. native, owns a 3.67 GPA and is pursuing a master’s degree in education. He was a studio art major as a undergraduate. The 2006 second team ESPN The Magazine Academic All–American grabbed the brass ring in '07 by winning the NCAA Division III decathlon championship with a school–record 7,199 points.
Twelve of the 15 members of the University Division first team earned Academic All–America honors in 2006. In addition to Brown, Donovan Kilmartin (Texas) and Galen Rupp (Oregon) were repeat first team selections. Chris Helwick (Tennessee), Greg Libel (North Dakota State), Nate Probasco (Nebraska), Heath Smith (North Texas) and Joe Detmer (Wisconsin) were second team selections in ’06.
Wisconsin and Tennessee led the University Division schools with three Academic All–Americans each in 2007. In addition to first teammers Brown and Detmer, Tim Nelson earned second team honors for Wisconsin. For Tennessee, joining first teammer Chris Helwick were second team selection Jangy Addy and third-team pick Jeff Day.
There were 14 repeat Academic All–Americans on the College Division teams, which feature student–athletes from NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA schools. Seven of those winners were repeat first team selections, including Gordon Coffin and Jed Droge (Nebraska Wesleyan), James Hajek and Jesus Solis (Adams State), Stephen Hrdina (Case Wester Reserve University), Harrison Jorritsma (Calvin College) and John Mercuri (University of Scranton).
Nugent, Nathan Bates (Wabash College), and Evan Night (Nebraska Wesleyan) each made the jump from second team '06 to first team in '07.
Adams State, Nebraska Wesleyan and the Rochester Institute of Technology led the College Division with three Academic All–Americans each. Nebraska Wesleyan was the only school to have three first team student–athletes in '07.
Adams State and Wisconsin each had two first team selections. All three of RIT's winners (Stephen Burns, Kevin Smith and Andrews Varble) were third-team selections.
The Academic All-America program annually honors over 1600 student-athletes who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA (the College Sports Information Directors of America), a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
To be eligble, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
ESPN The Magazine – winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.
For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com or e-mail rlipe@bentley.edu.