Seven America East cross country and track & field student-athletes have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Track & Field/Cross Country teams, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday afternoon.
The seven selections, which more than doubles last year's total (3), were highlighted by four first-team honorees: University at Albany's Valete Graham (Bronx, N.Y.) and UMBC's Dominic Devaud on the men's side and Boston University's Edwina Clark (Sydney, Australia) and University of Hartford's Elizabeth Foster (Ellington, Conn.) on the women's. Albany's Laura Cummings (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and University of Maine's Lindsay Burlock (Caribou, Maine) and Stephanie Jette (Lovell, Maine) were second-team choices.
First-team All-District selections are named to the national ballot from which the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America teams are chosen
Graham, a junior with a 3.74 grade-point average in psychology, won the long jump competition for the second straight season at the 2009 America East Outdoor Track & Field Championship. A three-time America East All-Conference and All-Academic honoree, also received academic accolades from the USTFCCCA.
Deveaud, a junior with a 3.68 GPA in mechanical engineering, finished fifth in the decathalon at the Outdoor Championship after placing first in three events. Devaud, an All-Academic selection during the outdoor season last year, also qualified for the finals of the 110-meter hurdles, finishing eighth.
Clark, a senior with a 3.84 GPA in nutritional science, was the long jump champion at the 2009 America East Indoor Championship and placed third in the event during the outdoor season to earn all-conference accolades. She was named to the league's Indoor All-Academic squad in March.
Foster, a senior with a 3.79 GPA in health sciences and physical therapy, was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the 2009 America East Outdoor Championship. Foster, who won the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 5,000-meter run, also earned All-Academic honors three times this season.
Burlock, a senior with a 3.56 GPA in food, science and nutrition, was a member of the Black Bears' 4x400-relay squad that set a meet record at the Outdoor Championship. A three-time All-Conference and All-Academic choice, Burlock received All-District recognition for the second straight year.
Cummings, a senior with a 3.41 GPA in English, placed third in 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2009 America East Outdoor Track & Field Championship to earn All-Conference honors for the second straight year after winning the event last year. A first-team All-District recipient last season, Cummings was a three-time America East All-Academic choice this year.
Jette, a senior with a 3.93 GPA in elementary education, was a member of the Black Bears' 4x800-relay squad that placed second at the Outdoor Championship.
To be nominated for Academic All-America recognition, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his/her career. No athlete is eligible until he/she has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution (thus, true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and ineligible transfers are not eligible). In the cases of transfers, graduate students and junior college graduates, the athlete must have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution to be eligible.
CoSIDA selects Academic All-America teams in 12 programs: football, women's volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's track & field/cross country, women's track & field/cross country, men's at-large and women's at-large.
The Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America teams will be announced Thursday, June 18 for the men and Friday, June 19 for the women.