Six Willamette Track and Field Athletes Earn All-Academic Honors

NEW ORLEANS, LA. " The Willamette University track and field teams placed four men and two women on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams for NCAA Division III as a result of their academic and athletic success in 2009-10.

A total of 202 student-athletes were chosen for the NCAA Division III Mens All-Academic Team. An additional 330 student-athletes were named to the NCAA Division III Womens All-Academic Team.

Each All-Academic selection was recognized for achieving a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or higher, while earning an NCAA national qualifying standard in one or more events during indoor or outdoor track and field competition.

Willamettes All-Academic selections from the men's team:

Evin Colignon (Jr., Poulsbo, WA/Charles Wright Academy), Economics
Ben Donovan (So., Minneapolis, MN/South HS), Studio Art
Nicholas Rebol (Jr., Cottonwood, CA/Red Bluff Union HS), Physics
Stefan Redfield (Jr., Sisters, OR/Sisters HS), Rhetoric and Media Studies

Colignon registered a provisional qualifying score of 6,472 points in the decathlon. He competed at the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championships, where he placed 13th in the decathlon. Colignon also received All-Academic honors in 2009.

Donovan achieved a provisional qualifying time of 9:21.80 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Rebol earned a provisional mark in the steeplechase with a time of 9:24.29. Redfield recorded provisional qualifying times of 14:42.26 in the 5,000-meter run and 3:53.30 in the 1,500-meter run.

Willamettes All-Academic selections from the women's team:

Jennifer Luecht (Sr, Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS), International Studies
Kimber Mattox (So., Bend Oregon/Bend HS/Cornell University), Exercise Science

Luecht was a provisional qualifier in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.30 seconds. She earned a spot on the All-Academic Team for the fourth consecutive season.

Mattox recorded provisional qualifying marks in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:41.78) and the 1,500-meter run (4:36.06). She placed ninth in the steeplechase at the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championships. She earned All-Academic recognition in track and field for the second time in as many seasons.

USTFCCCA Scholar-Athletes of the Year

The USTFCCCA also announced its selections for the Scholar-Athletes of the Year. The winner in each category was the All-Academic athlete who placed highest in individual events in that category at the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championships. Athletes earning more than one national championship ranked the highest.

Connor Kamm of Williams College (Mass.) was named NCAA Division III Mens Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Kamm, a senior majoring in Spanish, owned a 3.76 cumulative GPA and won the NCAA championship in the 5,000-meter run.

Brock Solveson from Concordia University (Wisc.) was selected as the NCAA Division III Men's Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second season in a row. Solveson, a senior with a 3.72 GPA, majored in Actuary Science and achieved a 3.72 GPA. He recorded his second consecutive NCAA title in the javelin.

Marie Borner of Bethel University (Minn.) was chosen NCAA Division III Womens Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Borner, a senior, achieved a 3.49 GPA while majoring in Exercise Science. She won NCAA championships this spring in the 800-meter run and the 1,500-meter run. During her career, she earned six NCAA titles in indoor and outdoor track and field.

Holly Ozanich from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh was named NCAA Division III Women's Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Ozanich, a junior, owns a 3.73 GPA and is majoring in Biology. This spring, she won the hammer throw at the NCAA National Championships.

For More Information:
Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110