University of Minnesota Athletics
Wieland Named Academic All-American
6/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
A Second Team honoree, Wieland is the fourth Gopher track & field competitor in the last six years to earn Academic All-America honors while the program has garnered 18 total honors from 12 different Gophers since its first accolade in 1993. An Academic All-Big Ten selection this year, Wieland is majoring in international business and marketing in the Carlson School of Management with a 3.71 GPA.
Wieland set a school record to win the NCAA heptathlon title with 6,070 points -- the eighth-most points ever by a collegiate athlete in the event, while his two-point win over Georgia's Garrett Scantling marked the closest finish in NCAA championships history. Wieland's national championship is the 13th individual NCAA title in program history.
A native of Saarbrucken, Germany, the sophomore is just the fourth Gopher in the program's 117-year history to sweep the Big Ten multi-events titles -- joining Benjamin Jensen (1997), Travis Brandstatter (2005) and R.J. McGinnis (2010). Wieland originally broke Jensen's 17-year old school record with 5,787 points to win the Big Ten heptathlon title (later re-set his own record at the NCAA meet) and added the Big Ten decathlon title with 7,635 points -- the 10th-most points ever by a Gopher in the event. The Gopher multi-eventer ranks fourth on Minnesota's all-time performers list in the decathlon behind Jack Szmanda (7,862), Brandstatter (7,736) and Jensen (7,716). Wieland pulled out of the NCAA decathlon competition after re-aggravating an injury during warm-ups.
In addition to his NCAA and Big Ten titles, Wieland was named a First Team All-American for the indoor season and was a First Team All-Big Ten honoree in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. The sophomore was also named the recipient of Minnesota's Garry Bjorklund Award as the team's most valuable competitor.
As a whole, the University of Minnesota athletic department celebrated six Capital One Academic All-Americans during the 2014-15 season ââ'¬" tied for sixth most among all NCAA Division I programs -- with Maxx Williams (football), Erica Meyer (softball), Hannah Brandt (women's hockey), Jessica Plant (women's swimming & diving) and Lindsay Mable (women's gymnastics) joining Wieland. The Gophers also boasted 20 Academic All-District honorees this year ââ'¬" second in the nation only to Stanford.
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