Six Horizon League student-athletes honored on CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams
June 11, 2007
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INDIANAPOLIS - Six League student-athletes have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Track & Field/Cross Country teams by a vote of the membership of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Loyola University Chicago placed three individuals among the group with junior Rachel Hansen earning First-Team honors, and seniors Marcia Faustin and Amanda Domich taking home Second-Team accolades. Butler University junior Genni Gardner and University of Detroit Mercy senior Ryan Byrne also appeared on the top squads, while University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sophomore Jenni Saarinen rounded out the group with Second-Team recognition.
Hansen, a two-time Horizon League Academic All-League selection, was named Second Team All-Horizon League in cross country in 2005 and finished second in the mile at the Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Championships, turning in a time of 5:02.34. Hansen owns a 3.95 grade-point average as a biology major and her inclusion on the First Team All-District automatically puts her on the ballot for All-America status.
Domich and Faustin both capped off their outstanding careers with Horizon League titles this spring. Domich, an elementary education major with a 3.26 GPA, upped her career total to six first-place finishes by winning the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs at the Horizon League Outdoor Championship while Faustin became just the second student-athlete in Horizon League history to win four high jump titles. In fact, including her indoor career, Faustin won all eight conference high jump titles during her time in Rogers Park. In addition to her prowess in the field, Faustin is also the school-record holder in the outdoor 100-meter and 200-meter dashes and is a member of two record-setting relay teams. She boasts a 3.50 GPA as a biology major at Loyola.
Gardner, an honor student majoring in communications disorders, is a three-time, All-Horizon League performer in cross country and a three-time league champion in track. She placed third at the League Cross Country Championships in 2006 and won League individual titles in the women's indoor mile, women's indoor 1,000-meter run and women's outdoor 800-meter run this past spring. She was named the Horizon League Women's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year in 2004, and she was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2007 Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Championship.
A mechanical engineering major with a 3.86 grade-point average, Byrne finished out his UDM career with his fourth All-League award, finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles at the League Championship in May. He is also a two-time League champion in the 400-meter hurdles along with a fourth place finish in the event at the 2004 Canadian Olympic Trials, just missing a bid to the Athens Games.
Saarinen was honored for both the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, where she won four Horizon League Championships and was named the outdoor's Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet. A native of Lappeenranta, Finland, she won the heptathlon, long jump and javelin at the League outdoor championships. Indoors, she set a school and league record in winning the pentathlon. Aside from her League titles, she also scored in four more events over the two meets, netting all-league second team honors in the outdoor high jump. She is an elementary education major and boasts a 3.81 grade-point average.
To be eligible for Academic All-District consideration, athletes must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher on a 4.00 scale, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Note: The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Track & Field/Cross Country Teams can be found on the PDF version of this release.
