Men’s Scholar Athletes of the Year and All-Academic Nods Announced in Division III

NEW ORLEANS – Steve Headley (Springfield), Todd Wildman (Trinity (Texas)), Connor Kamm (Williams), and Brock Solveson (Concordia Wisconsin) were named on Wednesday as Scholar Athletes of the Year in Division III for the 2010 track & field seasons by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The four represent collegiate track & field’s best in both athletics and academics. In addition, 202 were tapped as USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees.

Past All-Academic Honorees

Scholar Athletes are determined from among those who earned All-Academic status and placed highest in individual events at the most recent NCAA Championships. Those who earn multiple individual championship titles rank higher in the tie-breaking process, and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final tiebreaker to establish a winner. Separate awards are given to track athletes and field athletes and separately for the indoor and outdoor seasons, resulting in four categories.

Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year – Steve Headley, Springfield

Headley, a native of Wilbraham, Mass., was the national runner-up at 55 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. During the outdoor season, Headley was the national champion in the 100-meter dash and was the USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year. Headley, a senior history major this past semester, has a 3.34 cumulative GPA.

Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year – Todd Wildman, Trinity (Texas)

Wildman, a native of Dallas, Texas, was the pentathlon champion at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, scoring 3,751 points for the victory. Wildman, a business graduate student, claims a 3.80 cumulative GPA through the winter 2010 semester.

Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year – Connor Kamm, Williams

Kamm, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, was the NCAA Outdoor Champion at 5000 meters with a 14:28.06 clocking. Kamm, a senior majoring in Spanish, has tallied a 3.76 cumulative GPA while at Williams.

Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year – Brock Solveson, Concordia Wisconsin

Solveson, a native of Oconomowoc, Wis., was the NCAA javelin champion for the second-straight year in 2010. Soleveson, who has now won this award two years in a row, was a senior studying actuary science this past term and carries a 3.72 cumulative GPA.

Past Winners

Indoor Track & Field (track athlete)
2010: Steve Headley, Springfield
2009: Dallas Vincent, UW La Crosse
2008: Jon Schellin, UW Whitewater

Indoor Track & Field (field athlete)
2010: Todd Wildman, Trinity (Texas)
2009: Sam Johnson, UW Eau Claire
2008: Cody Stelzer, Whitworth

Outdoor Track & Field (track athlete)
2010: Connor Kamm, Williams
2009: Brian Harvey, Carnegie Mellon
2008: Andy Hodge, Wartburg

Outdoor Track & Field (field athlete)
2010: Brock Solveson, Concordia Wisconsin
2009: Brock Solveson, Concordia Wisconsin
2008: Fritz Nugent, Redlands

Outdoor Track & Field (single award)
2007: Fritz Nugent, Redlands

202 Earn All-Academic Status

In addition to the Scholar Athletes of the Year, the USTFCCCA also announced the men’s 2010 Division III All-Academic Track & Field team. A total of 202 student-athletes representing 74 institutions compose the group. UW La Crosse led all schools with 10 honorees. Chicago was next in the order with eight. The WIAC led all conferences with 25 mentions while the MIAC was next with 21.

National champions Kellen McCrary (UW La Crosse), John Schantzen (St. Olaf), Brandon Fugett (Salisbury), Sean Larson (UW Stout), and Obinna Nwanna (Case Western Reserve) joined those who won Scholar Athlete of the Year honors as All-Academic honorees.

Kyle Hannon (MIT), James Oleinik (MIT), Vladimir Sobes (MIT), Robert Torphy (Muhlenberg), Brian Copley (Nebraska Wesleyan), and Alexander Knobloch (North Central (Ill.) were reported to have cumulative GPAs of 4.0 and above.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and have met either the NCAA Division I Indoor or Outdoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard in their respective event.

The male Scholar Athletes of the Year in Division I, along with additional individuals given All-Academic status, will be released tomorrow, Thursday, July 29. Those institutions given All-Academic Team status will be named on Monday, August 2 (men) and Wednesday, August 3 (women).

USTFCCCA 2010 Division III Track & Field All-Academic Honorees, MEN
(* indicates reported 4.0 or greater cumulative GPA)