National Champions Johnson, Solveson Highlight USTFCCCA Division III Men’s All-Academic Track and Field Teams

NEW ORLEANS – Four student-athletes who earned two individual national titles and three runner-up finishes during the 2009 indoor and outdoor seasons add to their post-season accolades as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced Monday the men’s 2009 Division III Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Scholar Athletes of the Year.

Those four student-athletes are Indoor Track Scholar Athlete Dallas Vincent (University of Wisconsin, La Crosse), Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete Brian Harvey (Carnegie Mellon University), Indoor Field Scholar Athlete Sam Johnson (University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire), and Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete Brock Solveson (Concordia University Wisconsin).

OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Carnegie Mellon’s Brian Harvey is the Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete after placing second in the 5,000 meters at the 2009 Division III Outdoor National Track and Field Championships. During the outdoor season, he won the University Athletic Association (UAA) outdoor championship in the 1,500 meters and set a new school record in the 5,000 meters. He recently received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship based on his athletic and academic achievements.

Harvey, a native of Elliott City, Maryland, graduated with a 3.980 cumulative grade point average in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering.

Concordia’s Brock Solveson, the 2009 Division III Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year, won the javelin title at the Division III national championships with a stadium record toss of 208′-5″. He also finished tenth overall in the decathlon at the national championships with a point total of 6,606.

Solveson was named the 2009 Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) Field Athlete of the Meet for his performance at the NAC Championships. He won the conference title in the javelin and was third in the long jump, triple jump, and pole vault. Solveson is a junior with a 3.720 cumulative grade point average majoring in Business.

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

UW-La Crosse’s Dallas Vincent, an Oakfield, Wisconsin native, is the 2009 Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year after finishing second in the 5,000 meters at the 2009 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships. Vincent also anchored La Crosse’s second-place distance medley relay at the indoor championships. At the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Indoor Championships, Vincent placed fourth in the mile and second as a member of the distance medley relay.

Vincent is a junior with a 3.850 cumulative grade point average in Accounting.

UW-Eau Claire’s Sam Johnson is the 2009 Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. Johnson, a senior, has maintained a 3.93 cumulative grade point average while studying Physics at Eau Claire. Johnson won the national title in the weight throw (65’0.75″) in dominating fashion, as each of his legal throws went further than any other competitor’s throws.

In addition to the Scholar Athletes of the Year, the USTFCCCA also announced the men’s Division III All-Academic Track and Field Team. A total of 187 student-athletes representing 78 Division III colleges and universities made up the 2009 All-Academic team.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and Tufts University led the way with the most student-athletes on the list with eight selections each, followed by the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse with seven. For conferences, the WIAC had the most student-athletes on the list with 23 followed by the UAA with 21, and the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 18.

The USTFCCCA honors Division III individuals for their academic and athletic achievements during the indoor and outdoor track and field season.

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 the NCAA Division III Indoor or Outdoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard in their respective event.

2009 USTFCCCA Division III Men’s All-Academic Track and Field Team: