University of Minnesota Athletics
Six Gophers Named Academic All-District
5/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) - The University of Minnesota led all Division I programs with six CoSIDA Academic All-District Track & Field/Cross Country honorees as the Gophers open the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary Round today in Kansas.
Alex Beckman, Liz Berkholtz, Jess Lehman and Lyndsey Thorpe represented the women's team on the honor roll while Luca Wieland and Gian Ferretti represented the men's team. Berkholtz, Lehman, Wieland and Ferretti are repeat winners for the Maroon & Gold.
In addition to leading the nation with six track & field/cross country honors, Minnesota paced all NCAA Division I programs with 27 total CoSIDA All-District accolades this season - the most awards in school history. The newest crop of honorees will look to join Brandon Lingen (football) and Paige Tapp (Volleyball) as CoSIDA Academic All-Americans later this year.
Beckman picks up her first CoSIDA Academic All-District award. She wrapped up her track & field career ranked fifth in the pentathlon (3,749 points) and sixth in the heptathlon (5,088 points) among all-time Gopher multi-event competitors. She was a four-time Big Ten Conference competitor in both the pentathlon and heptathlon as well. A three-year team captain, the Apple Valley, Minn., native is a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honoree and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree along with earning Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition. Beckman earned her undergraduate degree in nursing and is completing a certificate in integrated therapies and healing practices.
Berkholtz, a four-time NCAA Cross Country Championship qualifier and a two-time All-Midwest Region honoree, earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors in her final season of cross country last fall. She owns the fifth and sixth-fastest six-kilometer times in Minnesota history. On the track, Berkholtz is a four-time NCAA West Prelim qualifier and a four-year Big Ten Conference Championship scorer, including finishing as 10,000m runner-up this season. The Sun Prairie, Wis., native ranks among the top 10 all-time Gophers in the 3,000m indoor, 5,000m indoor and outdoor, and 10,000m. The three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Team and four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree completed her degree in psychology with a minor in neuroscience and is currently completing a certificate in addiction studies at the University of Minnesota.
Lehman is Minnesota's program record-holder in both the pentathlon (4,393 points) and heptathlon (6,014 points). A two-time First-Team All-American in 2015, Lehman placed fifth in both the pentathlon and heptathlon at the NCAA national championship. A Dickinson, N.D., native, Lehman is set to make her second NCAA heptathlon appearance this season. The five-time All-Big Ten honoree is a four-time Big Ten champion, including back-to-back heptathlon titles. She is also a three-time team captain, a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. Lehman completed her degree in elementary education and is currently pursuing a Masters of Education in special education.
Thorpe ranks second in Minnesota history in the hammer throw and third in the weight throw. A three-time NCAA West Prelim qualifier, Thorpe is set to compete in the hammer at this week's preliminary round looking for her first NCAA Championship berth. The Stanley, Wis., native is a 10-time Big Ten Championship competitor in the weight and shot indoors and the hammer and shot outdoors. She owns three top-five finishes in the B1G hammer. A two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Team and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Thorpe is also a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and served as a team captain in 2016. The sport management major is currently studying applied kinesiology in graduate school at the University of Minnesota.
A two-time First Team All-American and the 2015 NCAA heptathlon champion, Wieland recently defended his Big Ten decathlon title to become just the fifth man in Big Ten history to win consecutive decathlon titles. A Saarbrucken, Germany native, Wieland's 7,784 points at the meet rank second all-time at Minnesota in the event while his 6,070 points to win the 2015 NCAA heptathlon title are a program record. A three-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree, Wieland was a 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-American, a 2015 Academic All-Big Ten selection and a USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree. The 2015 USTFCCCA Indoor Field Athlete of the Year is a candidate for all three awards once again in 2016. Wieland is studying entrepreneurial management at Minnesota.
Also a two-time All-American for the Gophers, Ferretti earned Second Team honors earlier this year in the weight throw and was previously a Second Team honoree in the hammer throw last season. The Capannoli, Italy native was also a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in the weight throw this season before an injury ended his outdoor campaign. Ferretti ranks second all-time in school history in the hammer throw at 69.65 meters (228-06.50 ft.) and third in the weight throw at 21.62 meters (70-11 ft.). The junior was a 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, a USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree and a 2015 Academic All-Big Ten selection. The communications studies student is a candidate for USTFCCCA and Big Ten academic honors once again in 2016.
CoSIDA All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where First, Second and Third Team All-America honorees will be selected later this year.
Minnesota will send a total of 39 competitors to the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track &Field West Preliminary Round, May 26-28, at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kan. The top-12 individual finishers and relay teams from both preliminary meets will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 8-11, in Eugene, Ore. Decathlon and heptathlon competitors advance directly to the NCAA meet next month.
CoSIDA Academic All-District Honorees
Taylor Stainbrook (Soccer)
Rashida Beal (Soccer)
Rachel McCloskey (Soccer)
Josee Stiever (Soccer)
Pair Tapp (Volleyball)
Hannah Tapp (Volleyball)
Katie Schau (Volleyball)
Briean Boddy-Calhoun (Football)
Jon Christnesen (Football)
Brandon Lingen (Football)
Shayne Mullaney (Women's Basketball)
Sam Macken (Softball)
Matt Fielder (Baseball)
Hannah Brandt (Women's Hockey)
Jessica Flakne (Rowing)
Michael Kroells (Wrestling)
Lindsay Mable (Women's Gymnastics)
Brett Pfarr (Wrestling)
Lee Stecklein (Women's Hockey)
Luca Wieland (Men's Track & Field)
Gian Ferretti (Men's Track & Field)
Alex Beckman (Women's Track & Field)
Liz Berkholtz (Women's Track & Field)
Jess Lehman (Women's Track & Field)
Lyndsey Thorpe (Women's Track & Field)
CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
Brandon Lingen (Football)
Paige Tapp (Volleyball)
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Players Mentioned
