This week, CoSIDA will be announcing the four 2015-16 Academic All-America of the Year honorees, each representing his or her division (College Division, NCAA Division III, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division I). The four selectees were chosen from all the sport "Academic All-America of the Year" recipients over the course of the academic year.
Mon., July 18:
College Division AAA of the Year (below)
Tue., July 19: Division III AAA of the Year (below) Release:
PDF doc
Wed., July 20: Division II AAA of the Year
Thur., July 21: Division I AAA of the Year
AUSTIN, Texas- Junior women’s track & field/cross country runner Leah Esposito of Carroll College has been named as the 2015-16 College Division Academic All-America® of the Year, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The College Division Academic All-America® teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions. This the fifth year that CoSIDA has named College Division Academic All-America® teams.
Esposito is the fifth student-athlete to earn the College Division Academic All-America® of the Year and the first track & field/cross country performer
to earn the award. Park University women’s volleyball player
Wanessa Siqueira captured the award last year. Men’s soccer player
Stephen Lunney (Martin Methodist College) collected the honor in 2013-14. Women’s soccer player
Mia Persson (Lindsey Wilson College) earned the award in 2012-13 while
Jamie Achten of the Lee University women’s soccer team was selected in 2011-12.
“This means a lot to me,” said Esposito. “I see myself as a pretty well-rounded student and athlete and to get this recognition is pretty it awesome. It also means a lot to bring credit to this school, the city I grew up in and all of my teachers in high school and professors that taught me to study hard, push my limits and not be afraid of taking risks in the classroom.
“My dad was a professor here, my mom went to school here and both of my sisters attend here,” added Esposito. “The professors at Carroll have pushed me to be the best and really prepared me for veterinary school.”
The 2016 NAIA indoor national champion in the mile, Esposito is a native of Clancy, Montana, with a 4.00 G.P.A. in biology. The 2015 NAIA indoor national champion in the 1,000-meter run has earned All-America honors 16 times in her career and capped it off with her final one during the outdoor season in leading the Carroll 4x800 relay team to fourth at outdoor nationals.
"Leah is more than deserving of this honor," said Carroll head track and field coach Harry Clark said. "She has shown time and time again that she is a fierce competitor and a huge part of our success. What she does in the classroom is just as impressive.”
Esposito was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s West Region Athlete of the Year for the 2015 indoor season. She was 14th at the NAIA Cross Country Championship for her third consecutive All-America performance. Esposito was also a member of the second place distance medley relay team at the 2016 indoor championship. She was honored as the NAIA's 2015 A.O. Duer Award winner. The Duer Award is the highest academic honor for all NAIA sports.
"An award of this magnitude doesn't come without great commitment, work ethic and discipline,” said Carroll Director of Athletics Charlie Gross. “All of which Leah demonstrates on a daily basis. We are so proud of her accomplishments as an athlete, student and member of the Carroll community.”
The Division III Academic All-America® of the Year award winner will be announced Tuesday (July 19) followed by the Division II winner Wednesday (July 20) and the Division I honoree Thursday (July 21).
2015-16 SPORT-BY-SPORT COLLEGE DIVISION ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Name Sport Cl. Hometown Major, G.P.A.
Jacob Anderson, Olivet Nazarene M. At-Large Sr. Clifton, Ill. Accounting, 3.73
Taylor Clinkenbeard, Mobile Softball Sr. Hueytown, Ala. Accounting, 4.00
Brandon Cole, Bryan M. Basketball Sr. Crossville, Tenn. Exercise Health Science, 3.83
Dixon Cooney, McPherson M. Track/XC Sr. Loveland, Colo. Mathematics, 4.00
Leah Esposito, Carroll W. Track/XC Jr. Clancy, Mont. Biology, 4.00
Lori Haas, Purdue Calumet W. At-Large Sr. Bismarck, Ill. History, 4.00
Annie Kessler, Ottawa W. Soccer Sr. Paola, Kan. Biology, 4.00
Lydia Nash, Union (Ky.) W. Basketball Sr. Florence, Ky. Athletic Training, 4.00
Logan Paben, Peru State Football Sr. Columbus, Neb. Middle Grade Education
(Math and Social Science Specialization), 4.00
Aleksi Pahkasalo, Lindsey Wilson M. Soccer Jr. Vantaa, Finland Recreation, Tourism and Sports
Management, 4.00
Karlie Schut, Northwestern (Iowa) Volleyball Sr. Des Moines, Iowa Nursing, 3.99
Alex Webb, British Columbia Baseball Sr. Surrey, B.C. Electrical Engineering, 3.75
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Michael MacEachern, Young Harris College
Academic All-America® Vice Co-Chair for Publicity/Communications
mfmaceachern@yhc.edu
(706) 379-5106