League-Leading 13 KU Men Named to Academic All-Big 12 Teams
IRVING, Texas – A total of 26 Kansas student-athletes were named to the 2015 Academic All-Big 12 Track & Field Teams, the league office announced Tuesday. The Jayhawk men led the league with 13 honorees while the Kansas women also added 13 to the Academic All-Big 12 lists and joined 130 female student-athletes, including 109 first-team members and 21 second-team honorees. On the men’s side, 81 earned honors, with 59 first team and 22 second-team selections.
Nine Jayhawk men were placed on the first team, led by senior Josh Munsch, who was named to the first team for the fourth time. Senior Aaron Blevins earned a spot on the first team for the third time in his career. Three KU men; senior Jonathan Miller, junior Evan Landes and sophomore Ben Brownlee were named to the first team for the second time, while senior Austin Hoag, juniors Nick Maestretti and Drew Matthews and sophomore Jordan Schaller saw themselves named to the first team for the first time.
On the women’s side, 11 KU student-athletes earned a spot on the first team. Sophomore Hannah Dimmick was one of eight women to claim spots on the Big 12 Academic list with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Senior Jaimie House joined Dimmick, earning a spot on the first team for the third-straight year. Senior Lindsay Vollmer and junior Hannah Richardson were added to the first team for the second time. Jayhawks earning a first-team nod for the first time included juniors Daina Levy and Dash Tsema and sophomores Malika Baker, Nashia Baker, Talia Marquez, Grace Pickell and Zainab Sanni.
Four Kansas men and two Jayhawk women were second-team selections. For the men, seniors Nick Giancana, Teddy Oteba and James Wilson as well as sophomore Kenny Boyer were all named to the team. For the women, senior Rachael Schaffer and sophomore Jennifer Angles also made the second-team list.
Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services, the track & field academic all-league squad consisted of 168 first-team members combined with 43 on the second team. First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team’s scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
This weekend the Jayhawks travel to Ames Iowa, for the 2015 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, taking place May 15-17 at the Cyclone Sports Complex on the campus of Iowa State University.
