The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) released its men’s and women’s Academic All-District Track and Field/Cross Country Teams sponsored by ESPN The Magazine and three Gustavus student athletes were named to the first and second teams. Senior Drew Hood, a pole vaulter from Mankato, Minn., was named to the District Five First Team, while senior cross country and track performers Chris deLaubenfels (Mount Vernon, Iowa) and Laura Edlund (Forest Lake, Minn.) were named to the second team. Hood will now be placed on the national ballot for the Academic All-America Team, which will be released in late-June.
Hood, who recently graduated summa cum laude with a 3.93 cumulative grade point average with a major in economics, won both the indoor and outdoor pole vault titles at the MIAC Championships this year. He also won the indoor pole vault title at the MIAC Indoor Championships in 2007 and finished second in the heptathlon indoors in both 2007 and 2008. A three-time Academic All-Conference selection, Hood received the Hollingsworth Key, which is awarded to the Gustavus senior male student athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average.
deLaubenfels, a four-year letterwinner in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field, recently graduated magna cum laude with a 3.71 cumulative grade point average with majors in political science and philosophy. deLaubenfels finished fourth at the conference meet, 11th in the region meet, and 54th at the national meet in cross country last fall earning First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region honors. The Mount Vernon, Iowa native provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 3,000 meters, however he suffered a stress fracture in his foot in early-March that kept him from competing for the remainder of the indoor season and all of the outdoor season.
Edlund, a four-year letterwinner in cross country running, nordic skiing, and track and field, recently graduated summa cum laude with a 3.91 grade point average with majors in history and secondary education. Edlund placed sixth at the 2007 MIAC Cross Country Championships earning All-Conference honors. She also finished second in the 5,000 meters at the MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships this spring earning All-Conference honors. Edlund is believed to be only the third student athlete at Gustavus in the past thirty years to be named to more than one CoSIDA Academic All-District Team in the same school year as she was named to the At-Large All-District First Team in mid-May for nordic skiing.
To be nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-District Five Cross Country/Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must be a significant contributor with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his/her career. No athlete is eligible until he/she has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution. District Five is made up of institutions from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana as well as Ontario and Manitoba in Canada.