Capital One Academic All-America® Men's and Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams release dates: 
College Division Teams: Monday, June 18
Division III Teams: Tuesday, June 19
Division II Teams: Wednesday, June 20
Division I Teams: Thursday, June 21
• 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Track & Field/Cross Country Teams - M & W (PDF)
• 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Track & Field/Cross Country Teams - M & W (doc)
TOWSON, Md.- Seniors Monte Larsen of Morningside College and Milika Tuivanuavou of Fresno Pacific University headline the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division men’s and women’s cross country/track & field teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The Capital One College Division Academic All-America® men’s and women’s cross country/track and field teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions.
Larsen was selected as the Academic All-America® of the Year for men’s cross country/track and field while Tuivanuavou was named as the Academic All-America® for women’s cross country/track and field.
An elementary education major with a 3.98 G.P.A., Larsen has earned first team Capital One Academic All-America® honors after making the third team last year. A native of Neola, Iowa, Larsen is a combined four-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete between track and cross country. He is a five-time NAIA indoor track & field All-American as well as a two-time NAIA outdoor track & field All-American.
Larsen anchored Morningside’s 3200-meter relay team which won the 2012 NAIA indoor national championship. The owner of nine school records, Larsen also finished as a national runner-up in the 2011 and 2012 indoor 600-meter race as well as the outdoor 800-meter race in 2011. He was also the winner of the Most Outstanding Performer Award at the Great Plains Athletic Conference championship meet.
A kinesiology major with a 3.68 G.P.A., Tuivanuavou is the most versatile athlete at Fresno Pacific. A native of Suva, Fiji, she was a two-time NAIA national champion for the Sunbirds. Tuivanuavou was the NAIA champion in the indoor shot put ( 48’2.5”) and the outdoor triple jump (39’8”) this season.
Tuivanuavou earned NAIA All-American honors six times in her career. She was an All-American in the triple jump, shot put and javelin.
Capital One Academic All-America® Men's College Division Cross Country/Track & Field Teams
The 15 members of the Capital One Academic All-America® College Division men’s cross country and track and field first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.55.
Larsen is joined on the men’s first team by a trio of student-athletes from Oklahoma Christian University, Brayden Barrientez, Tracy Marshall and David McWilliams. Concordia (Ore.) University also had three student-athletes on the first team - juniors Bo Johnson, Eric Whalen and Tim Wyland. Hildon Boen of Wayland Baptist University, Isaac Bryan of Taylor University, Andy Coy of Dakota State University, Luke Fischer of Northwest (Wash.) University, Jacob GunderKline of Goshen College, Bryson Harper of Bryan College, Josh Harris of Morningside and Micah Marvin of Doane College round out the Capital One Academic All-America® first team.
A religious education and children’s ministry double major from Haysville, Kan., Barrientez has a 3.96 G.P.A. and was the No. 4 runner on the Oklahoma Christian team which captured the 2011 NAIA cross country national championship. He placed 34th at nationals and eighth at the Sooner Athletic Conference Meet. In track, he ran the third leg of the 4x1600 which set a school record while competing at the Penn Relays. He has earned four NAIA All-American indoor track & field honors and one for outdoor.
A junior electrical engineering major with a 3.96 G.P.A., Marshall is a native Hutchinson, Kan. He won the long jump at the Sooner Athletic Conference Meet with a leap of 6.98 meters and was third in the triple jump with a distance of 14.60 meters. He also placed 11th at NAIA outdoor track & field championship meet in the long jump.
A junior youth ministry major with a perfect 4.0 G.P.A., McWilliams earned All-American honors by taking 19th at the NAIA cross country national championship meet, lifting Oklahoma Christian to the NAIA team title. A native of Naperville, Ill., he joined Barrientez as part of the school record-setting relay team in the 4x1600 at the Penn Relays. He became a three-sport All-American in the 10,000-meter run at the NAIA Outdoor Meet and the 5K run at the NAIA Indoor Meet.
A two-time NAIA All-America for Concordia, Johnson is a junior exercise and sports science major with a 3.79 G.P.A. A Toledo, Ore., native, Johnson placed sixth in the hammer at the NAIA outdoor meet. He has won three conference championships, two in the hammer and one in the discus.
A senior exercise and sport science major with a 3.37 G.P.A., Whalen was the NAIA outdoor national champion in the shot put. A product of Tualatin, Ore., Whalen finished his career as an eight-time NAIA All-American. As a senior, he led the Cavaliers to a fourth place finish at the NAIA Meet. He helped Concordia win four consecutive Cascade Collegiate Conference meet championships.
A two-time NAIA All-American, Wyland is a senior exercise and sports science major with a 3.47 G.P.A. A native of Umatilla, Ore., Wyland helped Concordia win four straight conference meet championships. He finished as the national runner-up in the javelin in 2011 and placed seventh in 2012. He helped the Cavaliers to a fourth -place finish at nationals, their highest team finish in school history.
A junior with a double major in business administration and accounting and a 3.40 G.P.A., Boen was a key performer for Wayland Baptist’s 2012 NAIA indoor track championship team. A native of Eldoret, Kenya, he was a member of the national champion distance medley relay team, which set a school record. He also earned All-American honors five other times and was a member of the Pioneers’ 4x800 relay team which won the national championship in 2011.
A graduate student with a 4.0 G.P.A., Bryan is studying higher education and student development. A native of Perkasie, Pa., he is a three-time NAIA outdoor track & field national championship qualifier and a three-time qualifier for the national indoor meet for Taylor. A qualifier for the NAIA cross country meet, Bryan was a three-time all-conference selection in track and a two-time all-conference team member in cross country.
A junior biology major with a 3.96 G.P.A., Coy was chosen as Dakota State’s Most Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year. A native of Hill City, S.D., Coy won the 1,000-meter run at the 2012 NAIA indoor track & field national championship meet, becoming the first runner to win an individual national title in program history. He is a five-time NAIA All-American and a six-time all-conference selection in track and cross country.
A senior business major at Northwest with a 3.75 G.P.A. Fischer placed third at the 2012 Cascade Collegiate Conference meet in the javelin. He was also national runner-up at the NAIA outdoor track & field national championship meet with a career-best thrown of 212 feet and 10 inches – 10 feet better than his previous personal best. A three-time All-CCC scholar-athlete as well as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Fischer is a two-sport athlete who made the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® college division men’s soccer second team.
A junior interdisciplinary studies major with a 3.71 G.P.A., GunderKline has earned three NAIA All-America honors at Goshen. A native of Yellow Springs, Ohio, he earned All-American honors three times, twice in the 5K race walk and once in the 3K race walk. A six-time NAIA national qualifier, GunderKline has broken his own 3K and 5K race walk school records a total of 10 times. He helped Goshen finish second in the conference cross country meet in 2011 with a career-best time of 26:22.6.
The recipient of the 2012 Bryan College “Lion of Valor” Award as the top male student-athlete, Harper is a senior exercise and health science major with a 3.90 G.P.A. A native of Pikeville, Tenn., he is a two-time NAIA All-American in cross country as a well as a three-time NAIA All-American in indoor track. He is also a five-time Appalachian Athletic Conference champion and a three-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
A two-time NAIA All-American as a member of Morningside’s indoor 3200-meter relay team, Harris is a junior engineering physics and mathematics major with a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. A native of Holstein, Iowa, Harris was part of the 2012 Great Plains Athletic Conference indoor champion 1600-meter relay team. He is also a member of the school record-holding relay teams in the indoor 1600-meter, 3200-meter and distance medley relay teams and the outdoor 3200-meter relay team.
A mathematics and physics double major with a 3.96 G.P.A., Marvin earned All-American honors in the javelin at Doane. A senior from Crete, Neb., he is only the fifth javelin throw in Doane history to throw over 200 feet. A four-time Great Plains Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete, he earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors twice. A three-time All-GPAC selection, Marvin won the 2012 conference championship in the javelin.
Capital One Academic All-America® Women's College Division Cross Country/Track & Field Teams
The 15 members of the Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field first team have an average 3.84 G.P.A.
Joining Tuivanuavou on Capital One Academic All-America® College Division women’s cross country and track and field first team is a trio of student-athletes from Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University - Beatrice Enckell, Kristina Kendrick and Julie Mayfield.
Morningside is represented by two student-athletes on the first team, Lydia Bienlien and Brenna Mathes. Teammates Lauryn Camp and Sadie Fisher of Grand View University were also named to the first team. Danielle Brenon of Houghton College, Gabriella Dixson of Concordia (Ore.), Blair Dixon of Doane, Erin Helmuth of Goshen, Stephanie Hescock of Northwest Christian University, Katherine Nicole Stuart of Westmont College and Kendra Zaffuto of Roberts Wesleyan College round out the first team.
A senior business administration major with a 3.94 G.P.A., Enckell earned NAIA Indoor All-American honors in the 1,600-meter relay for Embry-Riddle. A native of Karlshamn, Sweden, she earned all-conference honors in the 1,600-meter relay, the triple jump and the 400-meter hurdles.
A sophomore aeronautical science major with a 3.84 G.P.A., Kendrick also earned NAIA All-America honors for Embry-Riddle. A native of Washington, Pa., she was an All-American in the 600-meter and the 1,600-meter relay. She was an all-conference performer in the 1,600-meter relay, the 100-meter hurdles, the long jump and the triple jump.
A senior homeland security major with a 4.00 G.P.A., Mayfield earned All-American honors at the NAIA national indoor championship meet in the 3200-meter relay. A native of Ormond Beach, Fla. she earned all-conference honors in the 1500-meter run and the 3200-meter relay.
A junior with a double major in biology and chemistry and a 4.00 G.P.A., Bienlien also earned Capital One Academic All-America® women’s soccer second team for Morningside. A native of Glenwood, Iowa, she was named an NAIA Indoor All-American in distance medley.
A junior mathematics teaching major with a 3.99 G.P.A., Mathes won Great Plains Athletic Conference championships in the 1,000-meter (indoor), the 800-meters (outdoor) and 3,200-meter relay (outdoor).for Morningside. A native of Cherokee, Iowa, Mathes was the GPAC’s 2012 female nominee for the NAIA’s A.O. Duer Award. She was an NAIA indoor All-American in the 1,000-meter and distance medley and outdoor NAIA All-American in the 3,200-meter relay.
An elementary education major with a 3.55 G.P.A., Camp was the national runner-up at the 2012 NAIA indoor championship in the weight throw for Grand View. A senior from Preston, Iowa, she earned her third NAIA All-American honor of her career. Camp was also the Midwest Collegiate Conference champion in the weight throw.
Fisher, a senior history major with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A., was a national qualifier for the NAIA cross championship meet. A native of Lehigh, Iowa, she also qualified for the NAIA track and field championship in the steeple and marathon events.
A biology and communication major with a 3.71 G.P.A., Brenon won the national championship in the marathon with a time of 2:48.34. The national runner-up in the 10,000-meter run, she is a six-time NAIA All-American. A native of Endwell, N.Y., she is one of only two athletes to be named an NAIA All-American in both the 10K and marathon.
The NAIA national champion in the discus and the national runner-up in the shot put, Dixson is a psychology major with a 3.58 G.P.A. A native of Battle Ground, Wash., she helped Concordia (Ore.) to a runner-up finish at the NAIA national championship meet. She ended the regular season with the top five marks in the shot put, discus and the hammer. Dixson was a three-time NAIA All-American as she helped the Cavaliers win the 2011 national title.
A junior exercise science major with a 3.69 G.P.A., Dixon was a national qualifier for Doane in the 1600-meter relay for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. A native of Wauneta, Neb., she was an NAIA All-American during the indoor season as the relay team placed sixth with a season-best time, 3:53.01. Dixon has been named an NAIA All-American three times in her career.
The NAIA indoor runner-up in the 3k race walk, Helmuth is a secondary education and mathematics major with a 3.97 G.P.A. A junior from Elkhart, Ind., she has earned back-to-back indoor All-American honors. She was also a key member of the Maple Leafs’ cross country team.
A business administration major with a 3.90 G.P.A., Hescock was a double NAIA All-American for Northwest Christian. A native of Drain, Ore., Hescock earned All-Cascade Collegiate Conference honors for both cross country and track and field. She led the Beacons to a fourth-place finish at the NAIA national cross country championship as she finished 20th. During the track and field season, she repeated as the CCC champion in the 10,000-meter race.
A senior biology major with a 3.85 G.P.A., Stuart is a five-time NAIA All-American. A native of Gig Harbor, Wash., she was named as an All-American at the 2011 NAIA Cross Country Championship in 2011. She also earned All-America honors in the mile and distance medley relay at the NAIA indoor championship and was named an All-American in the 1,500-meter run at the outdoor meet. She holds the Westmont College record in seven different events.
A childhood and special education major with a 3.93 G.P.A., Zaffuto earned NAIA All-American honors for Roberts Wesleyan in the 1,000-meter run. A senior from North Chili, N.Y., Zaffuto placed eighth overall. She also competed in the NAIA cross country championship meet, helping the Redhawks to a ninth-place finish.
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (
www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., and ING Bank, fsb,
had $216.5 billion in deposits and $294.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of March 31, 2012. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One and ING Direct offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.
Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN’s Capital One Bowl Week. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot team, Capital One Academic All-America Program, and supports all 89 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.
About the Capital One Academic All-America® Program
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 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.
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. For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.
For more information, contact:
Dan O’Connell
Towson University
Academic All-America® Vice-Chair for Publicity/Communications
doconnell@towson.edu
(410) 704-3102
Jay Stancil
Union College (Ky.)
Academic All-America® Coordinator of Publicity
(706) 379-5106
Michael McEachern
Young Harris College
Academic All-America® Coordinator of Publicity
mfmaceachern@yhc.edu
(706) 379-5106