June 5, 2006
Horizon League student-athletes continue to earn recognition for their work in the classroom. The latest chapter comes in the form of the CoSIDA (College Sports information Directors of America) Academic All-District teams---sponsored by ESPN the Magazine---which include seven Horizon League representatives from five different schools.
On the men's side, Youngstown State University senior thrower Jarrod Davis gained a spot on the First-Team men's group in District 4, placing him on the ballot for Academic All-America honors. University of Detroit Mercy sophomore distance runner Andrew Hayner drew Second-Team Academic All-District distinction.
Hayner is a political science and history major who has a perfect 4.0 GPA through his first three semesters of college. He was part of the Titans' fourth-place distance medley team at the Horizon League Indoor Championship and concluded his season with a fourth-place finish as part of the 4x400 meter team at the Horizon League Outdoor Championship. His best event is the mile which he has run in a time of 4:27.78.
On the women's side, University of Illinois at Chicago senior thrower Sara O'Mara is also on the Academic All-America ballot after garnering First-Team Academic All-District 5 accolades. O'Mara, who boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA as a pre-elementary education major, is the UIC indoor record holder in the shot put while owning the outdoor school records in the discus and hammer throw. O'Mara is fresh of a stellar performance at the Horizon League Outdoor Championship that saw her tally a trio of top-10 finishes, placing second in the hammer throw, third in the shot put and eighth in the discus.
Four Horizon League distance runners were Second-Team honorees, with Youngstown State senior Emily Cicero and Detroit junior Ashley Gibbs recognized in District 4 plus Loyola University Chicago sophomore Rachel Hansen and Butler University sophomore Genni Gardner cited in District 5.
Gibbs is a biochemistry major who graduated in only three years with a 3.95 GPA, and will be attending Case Western's graduate dental school in the fall. She finished in sixth place at the Horizon League Outdoor Championships in the 10,000 meters with a time of 40:36.63. A long distance specialist, the 10,000 meters is her best event with a personal best time of 38:12.89. An Academic All-Horizon League selection in both cross country and indoor track and field, Hansen earned Second-Team All-League honors at the Horizon League Cross Country Championship last fall. The distance runner placed third in the 800-meter run at the League Indoor Championship this year and was also a member of the Ramblers' distance medley team that took home the title.