Gustavus Adolphus College senior men’s track and field athlete Drew Hood has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country Team as released by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Hood, a pole vaulter from Mankato, Minn., was named to the Second Team and is the eighth Gustavus student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors.
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 indoor heptathlon 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.
The Academic All-America® Teams program honors male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.