Tusculum’s Holzapfel, Wingate’s Sanctis Named To Academic All-District Cross Country/Track Team

BRISTOL, Conn. -- A pair of cross country student-athletes in the South Atlantic Conference have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District track & field/cross country team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Wingate University senior David Sanctis (Charlotte, N.C.) was named to the Academic All-District III first team for the first time in his Bulldog career. Tusculum College junior Simon Holzapfel (Nuremberg, Germany, Neves Gymnasium Nuremberg) was named to the Academic All-District IV first team.

District III (college division) includes all non-NCAA Division I schools (Division II, III and NAIA) in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and North and South Carolina. Discrict IV includes all non-NCAA Division I schools (Division II, III and NAIA) from Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Ohio and Michigan.

The 12 first team selections advance to the national ballot for 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® honors.

Sanctis is a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference performer, charting in the top 12 in the 2008 and 2009 league meets. In 2009, he earned three top 10 finishes. At Wingate's athletic awards ceremony, Sanctis received the men's cross country Coaches' Award. His top 2009 times included a 27:31 8K and a 35:10 10K.

In 2008, the South Mecklenburg High School product posted five top 10 finishes. His best 2008 times were a 27:20 8K and a career-best 34:42 10K. In 2007, he posted a career-best 8K time of 27:11 at the Food Lion SAC meet. At the 2007 NCAA Division II regional meet, he ran a 35:09. In 2006, his top 8K time was 28:45, while he ran a 38:36 10K.

"David improved tremendously from his freshman year to his senior year," Wingate head coach Dr. Dennis Johnson says. "He turned into the leader on the team (by the end of his career)."

Sanctis holds a 3.49 GPA. A Finance major, he graduated during Wingate's May Commencement Exercises. During the summer of 2009, he did an internship with international investment banking & brokerage firm MorganStanley SmithBarney. Sanctis participated in Wingate's Undergraduate Research Symposium in 2009.

David Sanctis

Simon Holzapfel

A member of the Phi Eta Sigma national honor society, Sanctis was also active in campus life. He was involved in Wingate's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Sanctis was also a member of the Bulldog Running Club.

Holzapfel won the 2009 Food Lion sAC Championship meet, and was runner-up in 2008. He won four other meets in 2009.

Holzapfel has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average majoring in Sport Management & Sport Science and was a 2008-09 Academic All-American. He was the 2008-09 recipient of the Duffield Award, presented to the Tusculum student-athlete with highest GPA, and was named the Tusculum College Freshman Student-Athlete of the Year Academic Award in 2008 and has been named to numerous honor rolls.

Holzapfel serves as a senator for the Tusculum Student Government Association and a campus tutor. He is a member of the Tusculum President's Society, where he serves as student ambassador. He also serves as a resident assistant and is a member of a campus group that works on protecting the environment, recycling and energy saving. He also volunteers at a local nursing home with painting and other projects, and fundraising projects at a local elementary school.

Student-athletes selected for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. They must possess at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.00 scale). They must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed at least one full academic year at his or her institution.

2010 ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT III
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
(COLLEGE DIVISION, AS SELECTED BY CoSIDA)
FIRST TEAM
Steve Dry, Emory (Ga.)
Russell Snyder, Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
Orolando Duffus, Saint Augustine's
Ricky Flynn, Lynchburg
Henry Melius, Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
Tommy Fyffe, Emory (Ga.)
Alex Greenhouse, Emory (Ga.)
Christopher Copeland, Saint Augustine's
Ben Joslin, Flagler
Alex Robin, Emory (Ga.)
Greg Decker, Emory (Ga.)
David Sanctis, Wingate

2010 ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT IV
FIRST TEAM
Joe Amstutz, Ohio Northern
Kale Booher, Ohio Northern
Alan Bowsher, Ohio Northern
Brian Cromer, Case Western Reserve
John Donkersloot, Hope
Ken Gilkerson, Michigan Tech
Simon Holzapfel, Tusculum
Jeffrey Minkus, Hope
Tim Smith, Case Western Reserve
Tim Uher, Wittenberg