Gustavus Adolphus College senior swimmer and junior hockey player David Martinson have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men’s At-Large Team as released by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Pearson, a College Division First Team selection, and Martinson, a College Division Third Team selection, are the third and fourth Gustavus student-athletes to be named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans this year.
Dave Pearson (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.) was a key member of men’s swimming and diving teams that won MIAC Championships in 2006 and 2008 and finished second in 2007 and 2009. He was a part of several relay teams including the 800 yard free relay that finished first at the MIAC Championships in both 2008 and 2009 and went on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Championships with a sixth place finish in 2008 and an eighth-place finish in 2009. The 2008 800 free relay team set the conference and school record with a time of 6:44.64. Pearson earned All-MIAC honors by finishing in the top three in an individual event or relay seven times during his career. He was also awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Pearson, a chemistry major with a 4.0 gpa, is the son of Scott and Kathleen Pearson of Woodbury and a 2005 graduate of Stillwater Area High School.
David Martinson (Jr., St. Louis Park, Minn.), a 2009 American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) First Team All-America honoree, helped the Gusties finish second at the NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Championship this season. He led Gustavus in scoring with 26 goals and 15 assists for 41 points, and ranked second in Division III in goals scored at 26. The two-time All-MIAC selection also led the squad with seven power-play goals and five game-winning goals. Martinson, an accounting major with a 3.85 gpa, is the son of Phil and Lynn Martinson of St. Louis Park and a 2004 graduate of St. Louis Park High School.
Pearson and Martinson become the 77th and 78th Gustavus student athletes to be named to a CoSIDA Academic All-America team. Pearson is the second men’s swimmer and Martinson is the first men’s hockey player at Gustavus to be honored by CoSIDA. Gustavus ranks seventh among all Division III institutions in number of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans with 78.
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. The men’s at-large program for Academic All-America includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.
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.