Nathan Beerling, a junior mid-distance athlete on the University of Minnesota Duluth men's track and field and cross country teams has been named to the College of Sports Information Directors of America's (CoSIDA) College Division Academic All-America Second Team, CoSIDA today announced.
Beerling (St. Peter, Minn.) holds a 3.93 grade-point average with a double major in exercise science and biology. The junior makes his first appearance on the Academic All-America Team after being a five-time Academic All-NSIC selection (three in cross country, two in track and field).
A member of the Bulldogs' track and field team, Beerling wrapped up his 2004 season with a trip to the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships placing 12th in the 1,500-meter run. He currently holds the UMD school record in the outdoor 1,500-meter run (3:50.08) and was a member of the record-holding 4x800-meter (7:37.99) relay team. He also posted four top five finishes for the UMD cross country team (including a 2nd place at NSIC meet) helping lead the Bulldogs to a fifth place finish in the North Central Regional and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. He was UMD's top finisher at the regional (20th) and the national meets (49th) and was voted the team's Most Dedicated Runner.
Beerling is one of just two student-athlete from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to be named to one of CoSIDA's three 15 member teams. Joining him on the list is Bemidji State University's Phil McCollum (Sr., Idaho Falls, Idaho) who was selected to the third team. Beerling joins Ryan Koch (So., St. Cloud State University) from UMD's new conference home the North Central Conference on the list.
Beerling's Academic All-America selection marks the second time this year a Bulldog has been bestowed with the honor. Sophomore women's basketball player Lindsey Dietz took home second team Academic All-America honors earlier this year.
The Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level both on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA; a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
To Be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a 4.00 scale, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors to more than 14,000 student-athletes in the NCAA's Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
