Wingate’s Hines, Tusculum’s Alston Named Academic All-Americans

Bristol, Conn. -- A pair of standout women cross country runners have earned Academic All-American honors. Wingate University's Amber Hines and Tusculum College's Sarah Alston were both selected to the women's cross country/track & field third team.

Members of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Team are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The Academic All-America® program annually honors over 1600 student-athletes 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.

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.

Student-athletes selected for Academic All-America® honors must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. They must possess at least a 3.20 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 their institution. Student-athletes are nominated by their sports information directors.

ESPN The Magazine - winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence - is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.

Wingate

Wingate University sophomore cross country runner Amber Hines (Little Mountain, S.C./Chapin HS) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® women's cross country/track & field third team (college division), selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). A Biology major with a perfect 4.00 GPA, Hines earns ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® honors for the first time in her career. She was the only sophomore out of 45 student-athletes named to either of the first, second or third teams.

Since January 1, 2000, Wingate University has produced 25 Academic All-America® selections. Wingate entered the 2006-07 academic year ranked sixth among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000s. Hines gives Wingate 34 Academic All-America® selections all-time, tops among schools in the South Atlantic Conference.

Hines was the 2006 South Atlantic Conference Runner of the Year, as she crossed the finish line first at the league meet with a time of 19:39. She finished in the top eight in eight of her nine races this season, including three first-place finishes, one second-place finish and two third-place finishes.

Hines finished second in the 2007 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional meet at Wingate, earning a spot in the NCAA Division II National Championship meet as an individual qualifier. She set the school's 6K record in the biggest race of her career, placing 94th in the 2006 NCAA Division II Nationals in Pensacola, Florida with a time of 22:24.

A two-time All-South Atlantic Conference performer and Wingate's 2006 MVP, Hines holds Wingate's 5K (18:44) and 6K (22:24) records. She was named to the SAC All-Freshman team in 2005. In the 2005 Food Lion SAC championships, Hines ran a 20:25 5K, her best 5K time of the 2005 campaign.

"Without a doubt, Amber Hines is the greatest runner in our school's history," Wingate head cross country coach Dr. Dennis Johnson said. "Her work ethic is amazing. She does not settle for anything less than her very best, whether it is in the classroom or in athletics. We believe Amber is a potential All-American at next year's NCAA meet."

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution offering students active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, faith nurturing, career development, community service and study abroad.

Wingate offers more than 37 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers pre-professional programs and graduate degrees in business, education, physical education and sport administration.

In the spring of 2007, Wingate University awarded its first-ever doctor of pharmacy degrees. Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports.

Tusculum

Tusculum College's Sarah Alston has been named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women's Cross Country/Track & Field College Division Third Team announced College officials Wednesday.

Alston, a senior from Morristown, Tenn., becomes the second player in the program's history to earn Academic All-America® distinction. She joins Heather Rhoton, who was TC's first cross country Academic All-American® in 2000. She is also the seventh Tusculum student-athlete since 2000 to be named an Academic All-American®.

Alston posted a 3.99 cumulative grade point average while majoring in Psychology with a minor in Political Science. She was the 2007 recipient of the Duffield Academic Award, which is presented to the Tusculum student-athlete with the highest GPA.

Alston competed in all six cross country meets last fall for collegiate head coach Phil Roberts. She finished no worse than 15th, including a second place performance at the Tusculum Invitational. The 2007 NCAA All-Academic Cross Country Team honoree is also a member of the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll. She was also tabbed to the Dean's List, President's List and the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.

Earlier this month, she was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV First Team.

2007 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America®
Women's Cross Country/Track & Field -- College Division

First team

Name, School, Class, GPA, Major
Elaine Binkley, Denison, Sr., 4.00, Biology
Meghan Voiland, Augustana (Ill.), Sr., 3.86, Biology
Ashley Johnson, Wilmington (Ohio), Sr., 3.99, Early Childhood Education
Stephanie Nothelle, Case Western Reserve, Sr., 4.00, Biology and German
Lisa Winkle, Calvin, Sr., 3.96, Mathematics and Secondary Education
Jessica Selby, Missouri Southern State, Jr., 4.00, Communications
Meagan Bauer, Doane, Jr., 4.00, Mathematics and Secondary Education
Sarah Zerzan, Willamette, Jr., 3.93, Chemistry (Biochemistry track)
Becca Kueny, Missouri-Rolla, Sr., 4.00, Ceramic Engineering
Venessa Lee, Pittsburg State, Jr., 3.87, Biology/Spanish
Tanya Gaurmer, Adams State, Jr., 3.78, History/Government
Rachel Anderson, Illinois Wesleyan, Jr., 3.76, Business
Jessica Trautwein, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Sr., 4.00, Math Education
Hailey Harren, Gustavus Adolphus, Sr., 3.81, Political Science & Financial Economics
Megan Rossi, North Central, Sr., 3.70, Sport Management

Academic All-America® of the Year: Elaine Binkley, Denison

Second team

Name, School, Class, GPA, Major
Amanda Weinmann, Saint Mary's (Minn.), Sr., 3.99, Bio-Physics/Engineering Physics
Katie Wieferich, Wooster, Sr., 3.81, Chemistry
Sarah Wittingen, Calvin, Jr., 3.98, Accounting
Angie Aguilar, Abilene Christian, Sr., 3.69, Education
Natalie Calderon, Redlands, Sr., 3.74, Communicative Disorders
Natalie Badowski, Washington (Mo.), Sr., 3.92, Biology and PNP
Mara McGill, South Dakota, Sr., 4.00, Biology/Pre-Medicine
Liz Faller, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Sr., 3.97, Kinesiology (PE Teaching)
Teona Perkins, Seattle Pacific, Sr., 3.70, European Studies
Marie Rymut, Ohio Wesleyan, Sr., 4.00, Pre-med; Politics and Government
Andrea Brandt, Cal State San Bernardino, Sr., 4.00, Kinesiology
Ellie Windle, Doane, Sr., 4.00, Biology
Samantha Modderman, Cedarville, Sr., 3.92, Biology
Terri Schwamb, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Jr., 3.96, Mathematics
Jenni Culbertson, Wayne State (Mich.), Sr., 4.00, Accounting

Third team

Name, School, Class, GPA, Major
Christina Acquaviva, SUNY Cortland, Sr., 3.34, Adolescent Education/Biology
Natalie Wood, Texas Lutheran, Sr., 3.85, Mathematics
Jessica Beach, George Fox, Jr., 4.00, Engineering
Jean Anne Babin, Sewanee, Sr., 4.01, Psychology/Political Science
Jacquie Faust, Truman State, Sr., 3.97, Communication Disorders
Sarah Alston, Tusculum, Sr., 3.99, Psychology
Ellen Davis, Wesleyan, Sr., 3.48, Women's Studies
Amber Hines, Wingate, Soph., 4.00, Biology
Amber Hackenberg, Bloomsburg, Jr., 4.00, Business Administration
Erin Richard, Clarion, Jr., 3.81, Elementary Education
Trish Todd, Bellarmine, Jr., 4.00, Biology
Erin Fisher, Elizabethtown, Jr., 3.98, Biology/Mathematics
Heidi Muellenberg, South Dakota, Sr., 3.83, Psychology
Ashley Parker, Lincoln (Pa.), Sr., 3.74, Health Science
Aislinn Sowash, Haverford, Sr., 3.54, Biology