Seton Hill senior Josh Wilks was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Track & Field/Cross Country Team.
Wilks, a 3.87 mathematics major was named to the first team. Wilks becomes the first Seton Hill athlete to earn a first team Academic All American award. Wilks and Erin Beattie were both second team selections last season. To be eligible for the national team selection, Wilks was named a first-team all-district selection.
Josh was named the 2011 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Runner of the Year after claiming the 800-meter title and running the anchor leg on the Griffins’ champion 4×400 meter relay team.
Wilks is a two time All American. Last season, he finished fifth in 800 meter run at the Division II Indoor Nationals and 8th in the Outdoor Nationals to earn his All-American status. Wilks also earned the NCAA’s Elite 88 Award during his junior season.
The Elite 88, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 88 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 88 championships. Josh also holds the Seton Hill outdoor records in the 200, 400 and 800 meter runs.
The teams are sponsored by Capital One. To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings 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 on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports. For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.