June 7, 2007

Lee, Pappas Earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Honors

     PITTSBURG -- Two Pittsburg State University track & field athletes earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America today (June 7).
     Junior distance runner Venessa Lee was named to the first-team Academic All-District squad for women’s cross country/track & field, while senior thrower Matt Pappas was named to the first-team Academic All-District squad for men’s cross country/track & field. Both athletes now are eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors later this month.
    The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® team for men’s cross country/track & field will be announced June 25, while the women’s team will follow on June 27.
    Lee, a Cleveland, Mo., native has a 3.87 GPA as a dual biology and Spanish major. She captured NCAA Division II National Championships in the 800 meters in both the indoor and outdoor seasons this spring. Lee also garnered six MIAA crowns in track & field and helped the Pitt State cross country team qualify to the NCAA-II National Championships last fall. She finished as the runner-up in balloting for the MIAA’s Ken B. Jones Award as the conference female student-athlete of the year.
    This marks the second season Lee has garnered ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors. She was named to the second-team squad as a sophomore.
    Pappas, a native of Lee’s Summit, Mo., graduated from PSU with a 3.72 GPA with a degree in finance last month. Pappas finished his collegiate career as a two-time NCAA-II All-American and a 12-time All-MIAA performer in the throwing disciplines. He qualified to indoor nationals in the shot put and weight throw this spring. He also qualified to compete at outdoor nationals, but he elected to cut short his senior season last month to begin his professional employment following graduation.
    This is the first occurence for Pappas on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District lists.
    Student-athletes must meet four criteria to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors: 1) must have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or better, 2) must have at least two terms of attendance at the institution, 3) must be at least a sophomore in athletic eligibility, 4) must be a starter or key reserve in their respective sport.
    The All-District selection is determined by voting of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). District VII is comprised of NCAA Division II and Division III and NAIA institutions from the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
    Since January 2000, Pitt State has produced 39 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America student-athletes -- the highest total among all Division II institutions and the seventh-highest total among all colleges nationwide.