For the second straight year, recent Muhlenberg graduate Tyler Bauer was named to the Capital One NCAA Division III Academic All-America Track & Field Cross Country first team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The Academic All-America selection is the third for Bauer, who made the second team in 2013 and the first team last year. He is the second three-time Academic All-American in the history of the Muhlenberg track and field program, joining Bobby Torphy '11, and the fourth Mule athlete in all sports to earn first-team Academic All-America honors more than once.
Bauer graduated summa cum laude as a double major in biology and music (music performance concentration). A three-time Centennial Conference champion and two-time All-American in the javelin, Bauer had the longest throw in Division III this year - 225 feet, 2 inches. It was the 10th-best mark in Division III history and made him the first Mule to be honored as national athlete of the week.
Bauer finished his career as the holder of the school, Centennial and Centennial meet records in the javelin. He was honored as Muhlenberg's Greek Leader of the Year, awarded to a student in the graduating class who has demonstrated outstanding leadership within both the College Community and the Greek system.
Bauer is the 10th Academic All-America selection (the sixth to make the first team) in the history of the Mule men's cross country/track and field program, all since 2005. Muhlenberg's streak of seven straight years with an Academic All-American is second among Division III men's programs; Nebraska Wesleyan has a current streak of 11 years.
To be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his current institution and be nominated by his sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on nearly 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III, NAIA and two-year colleges covering all NCAA championship sports.
Greg Olenginski was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Track & Field/Cross Country Third Team announced Tuesday, becoming the program's first academic all-american since 2013 and seventh overall.
Nils Michaelis '13 was the last men's track & field athlete to earn the distinction after landing on the third team at the conclusion of his senior season.
Olenginski (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) was named the Centennial Conference (CC) Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year. The senior was also named to the CC First Team in the 4x800 relay after winning gold at the CC Championships for the second straight year. Olenginski, a chemistry major, teamed up with Leo Generali, Derek Pawlush, and Luk Olenginski to win the race at 7:47.60, after the squad broke the CC Championships record back in 2014 with a time of 7:40.46.
At the Senior Awards Luncheon in May, Olenginski was honored with the Delphic Student-Athlete Award, given to the male and female senior athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of the fall semester.
To be nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.3 or higher cumulative grade point average and be a significant contributor to the team.
Frances Loeb of Johns Hopkins earned a repeat selection in 2015 after earning third team honors in 2014. Loeb, a senior from Wynnewood, Pa., is a psychology major with a 3.62 G.P.A. She earned two USTFCCCA All-America selections in cross country in her career. She finished second in the 5,000-meter run and fourth in the 10,000-meters at the 2015 Division III Outdoor Championships. Loeb placed sixth in the 5,000-meters and seventh in the 3,000-meter run at the 2015 Division III Indoor Championships.