Arizona State’s Lewis, Oregon’s Rupp, and Kansas State’s Sellers Top USTFCCCA Division I Men’s All-Academic Track & Field Selections

NEW ORLEANS – Three student-athletes who attained eight individual national titles both indoors and outdoors in 2009 have added to their collection of hardware as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced Monday the Men’s 2009 Division I Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Scholar Athletes of the Year.

Those three student-athletes are Indoor Field Scholar Athlete Jason Lewis of Arizona State, Indoor and Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete Galen Rupp of Oregon, and Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete Scott Sellers of Kansas State.

OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Rupp, a senior from Portland, Oregon earned the 2009 Division I Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year award after a strong outdoor campaign. Rupp’s senior outdoor season was highlighted by national titles in the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. His 20 points helped lead the Ducks to a second-place finish in the team standings.

As a business administration manager at Oregon, Rupp compiled a 3.890 cumulative GPA. He was named the 2009 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year earlier this summer.

After an outdoor season that culminated in an individual national championship in the high jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Scott Sellers of Kansas State has been named the 2009 Division I Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. Sellers cleared his first six attempts, finishing with a best clearance of 7”-5”. He earlier won the NCAA Indoor title in the high jump to complete a sweep of the 2009 high jump titles.

Sellers, a senior from Katy, Texas, compiled a 3.617 cumulative GPA in business at Kansas State.

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Rupp also earns the Division I Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year award after a legendary performance at the 2009 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. Rupp won individual titles in the 3000 meters and 5000 meters and anchored the Ducks’ winning distance medley relay, the first person in history to win all three events at the same national championship. Rupp’s heroics helped lead the Ducks to the indoor team title.

Rupp was named the 2009 USTFCCCA Indoor Track Athlete of the Year following the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Jason Lewis of Arizona State is the 2009 Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year after winning the weight throw at the 2009 Indoor Championships. A former walk-on, Lewis achieved a nearly three-foot personal best on his next-to-last attempt to win the individual title. He had the fourth-best mark in the event headed into the Championships.

A junior history major at Arizona State, Lewis has compiled a 3.690 cumulative GPA.

DIVISION I ALL-ACADEMIC TRACK AND FIELD TEAM

In addition to the Scholar Athletes of the Year, the USTFCCCA also announced the men’s 2009 Division I All-Academic Track and Field team. A record total of 329 student-athletes representing 108 Division I institutions made up the men’s 2009 All-Academic team.

The University of Nebraska led all institutions with 16 student-athletes on the All-Academic team, followed by Brigham Young University with 12 student-athletes on the team. University of Oregon placed 11 student-athletes on the team.

The Big 12 Conference led all conferences with 46 selections, with the Pacific-10 Conference following closely with 42 selections. The Mountain West Conference had 28 men’s student-athletes earn All-Academic honors.

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

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.

The 2009 USTFCCCA Division I Men’s All-Academic Track and Field Team