Hedengren Named To Verizon Academic All-America Second Team

PROVO -- BYU trackster John Hedengren was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-America Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Second Team today, marking his fifth Academic All-American honor as a Cougar.

Hedengren, a senior from Richland, Wash., is a three-time All-Mountain West Conference First Team performer in cross country. He was the 1999 Mountain West Conference cross country champion and earned All-American honors in cross country with a 37th-place finish in 2000.

Hedengren was one of five Utah athletes named to the first or second team, with Utah?s Teren Jameson earning first team honors and being named the Academic Athlete of the Year. Weber State?s Todd Grunander was also a first team selection. Joining Hedengren on the second team were Southern Utah's Kyle Rowley and Weber State?s Jeremy Tolman.

This year marks the first time in the 50-year history of the Verizon Academic All-America program that a men?s track/cross country team was selected in the University and College Divisions. The team is selected by voting among the 1,800 members of the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

An athlete must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a 4.0 scale and be a varsity starter or key contributor in their second year of competition to be eligible for Academic All-America honors.