Complete USTFCCCA All-Academic List
WINONA, Minn. — It's been nearly three months since
Andrew Brueggen stepped foot in the hammer cage at the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships, but the accolades just keep on coming for the Saint Mary's University senior.
During his senior season, Brueggen won both the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference weight throw and hammer throw titles, qualified for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships, and closed out his competitive career with his second All-American honor.
In early June, Brueggen was named to the Capital One Academic All-District 5 Second Team, and on Friday, he earned United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic team, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.30 grade-point-average and have met the NCAA Division III automatic or provisional qualifying standard. Brueggen was one of 200 Division III student-athletes — including 10 from the MIAC — to earn All-Academic honors.
Brueggen's final year as a Cardinal was truly a remarkable one. He quailed for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships for the second straight year in 2011, adding a 10th-place finish in the indoor weight throw to his sixth-place All-American effort in the outdoor hammer. And his efforts in winning both the MIAC weight throw (indoor) and hammer throw (outdoor) titles — a school- and conference-record throw of 19.68 meters in the weight throw and a conference-record toss of 60.62 meters — were both named MIAC Performances of the Meet at the conference's indoor and outdoor championships, respectively.
Brueggen, a Youth Ministry major with a 3.68 grade-point-average, is the third SMU athlete to earn USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, joining Sara Harstad (Chatfield, Minn.) and Brittany Kuehn (Sauk Rapids, Minn.), who were named to the women's team on Wednesday.
Amherst's Ben Scheetz, Springfield's Kevin Coyle, Washington-St. Louis' Alden Black, and North Central's Peter Geraghty were named USTFCCCA's Scholar Athletes of the Year. Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards are determined from among those who earned All-Academic status and placed highest in individual events at the most recent NCAA Championships. Separate awards are given to track athletes and field athletes for the indoor and outdoor seasons, resulting in four categories.
Haverford led the country with 10 student-athletes reaching All-Academic status. UW-Eau Claire followed with eight and Washington (Mo.) and UW-La Crosse tied for the third most with seven each.
