The Nebraska track and field team again showed that its excellence stretches from the track to the classroom on Wednesday with the release of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Teams. Individually the Huskers had 20 student-athletes named to their respective all-academic squad, representing four states and four countries. Both the men’s and women’s team as a whole were also honored with the distinction of being a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
The Husker men had the most student-athletes on the men’s squad with nine representatives, led by two-time honorees Keith Lloyd and Dan Christensen. The Big Red was followed closely by Oregon and Stanford, each with eight student-athletes on the team. The men’s team as a whole was also honored as an all-academic team, posting a 3.019 team GPA.
The Husker women were loaded with repeat winners as Kayla Wilkinson was honored for a third time (2004, 2006, 2008), while Natalja Zarcenko, Kim Shubert, Joslyn Dalton, Erin Hannon, and Rachel Carrizales earned all-academic honors for the second straight year. As a team, the Husker women carried a 3.386 GPA, placing 15th among the 117 qualifying teams. A record total of 468 student-athletes representing 140 Division I institutions composed the women's 2008 All-Academic team. The Husker women were represented by the fifth-most athletes with 11, trailing Rice and Wisconsin who led all institutions with 13 student-athletes each on the All-Academic team and Arkansas and Oregon with 12.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either the NCAA Division I Indoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard or the NCAA Division I Outdoor regional or national qualifying standard in their respective event. For a team to be nominated, the team must carry a minimum 3.000 team cumulative grade-point average.
Men’s All-Academic Selections
David Adams - York, Neb.
Patrick Burke - Bellevue, Neb.
Dan Christensen - Omaha, Neb.
Adam Dailey - Wahoo, Neb.
Nicholas Gordon - Kingston, Jamaica
Dusty Jonas - La Vernia, Texas
Keith Lloyd - Omaha, Neb.
Eric Lund - Milford, Neb.
Women’s All-Academic Selections
Rachel Butler - Mechanicsville, Va
Rachel Carrizales - Morrill, Neb.
Lara Crofford - Newville, Pa.
Joslyn Dalton - Fremont, Neb.
Arna Erega - Rijeka, Croatia
Erin Hannon - Bradford, Pa.
Lindsey Maher - Utica, Neb.
Kim Shubert - Lincoln, Neb.
Kayla Wilkinson - Deshler, Neb.
Natalie Willer - Elkhorn, Neb.
Natalja Zarcenko - Valmiera, Latvia