The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) has released the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District teams in men’s and women’s cross country/track and field with a total of four Emory student-athletes being chosen.
On the men’s side, junior Lukas Mees (Marion, IA) and sophomore Grant Murphy (Hillsborough, CA) were recognized, while senior Electra Korn (Woodinville, WA) and junior Julie Williamson (Chatham, NJ) were the women’s honorees.
Mees, who qualified for the NCAA D-III Outdoor Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, won that event at the 2015 University Athletic Association Championships, becoming just the second Emory performer to finish first in that race. During the fall, he captured Second Team All-UAA Cross Country acclaim and later distinguished himself with all-region honors after finishing ninth out of 201 entries at the NCAA South/Southeast Championships. Tabbed as the Eagles’ Most Outstanding Performer in cross country for the 2014 season, he landed a berth on the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team. Mees, a psychology major, was nominated with a GPA of 3.94.
Murphy was a national competitor in the D-III Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 meter run. He took home the top spot in the 1,500 meters at the UAA Outdoor Championships, setting a conference and program record with a time of 3:50.94. Over the winter, he earned indoor All-UAA accolades with a second-place finish in the distance medley relay with that unit establishing a school record in the process. During the cross country season, he was selected as the team’s Most Improved Runner after scoring in every competition. His sixth-place finish out of 201 runners at the NCAA South/Southeast Championships paced Emory and enabled him to claim all-region recognition. A member of the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team, he was nominated with a 4.00 GPA as an undecided major.
A four-time All-American, Korn is the school-record holder in the indoor 400-meter dash and the outdoor 400-meter hurdles. She was the 2015 UAA Indoor champion in the 400 meters while earning all-league kudos in the 200-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles. A seven-time UAA champion and 14-time All-UAA honoree, Korn landed a third-team berth on the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America Team. A biology major, she was nominated with a 3.77 GPA.
Williamson, the owner of the school’s second-fastest times in the indoor (2:15.36) and outdoor (2:12.45) 800-meter events, raced to All-UAA acclaim in the 1,600-meter relay at the 2015 Indoor Championships as well as the 800-meter run, where she finished second, and 4x800-meter relay at the Outdoor Championships. She competed in the distance medley relay at the 2014 NCAA D-III Indoor Championships and in the 1,600-meter relay at the 2014 outdoor nationals. This past fall, she was selected as the cross country team’s Most Improved Runner after competing in six of eight events.
Voting for the Academic All-District team is conducted by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Emory’s representatives are District 5 selections from Division III institutions comprised from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The honor is awarded annually to student athletes who have excelled both academically and athletically. To be eligible, a nominee must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at his/her current institution, carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) and be a starter or key reserve.
By virtue of being selected to the Capital One Academic All-District Team, all four Emory representatives will advance to the national ballot for the Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected in June.