Rio Grande News
Mon, Jun. 4, 2012 - [Women's Track & Field]
Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - A pair of runners representing the University of Rio Grande have been named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-District women's track & field/cross country teams by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Senior Cassie Mattia (West Chester, OH) and junior Amy Lower (Lancaster, OH) were recognized for their combined performances in the classroom and on the track for the RedStorm.
CoSIDA's Academic All-District teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. This is the first year that the program has expanded from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non-Division I) to separate teams for NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and College (a combination of NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools).
Rio Grande is part of the District I College Division.
Mattia and Lower were both members of theRedStorm's 4x800 relay squad which re-wrote the school record book throughout the course of the indoor and outdoor season, although Lower was hampered by an injury for a good portion of the outdoor campaign.
The quartet, which also included seniors Kayla Graves (Chillicothe, OH) and Kayla Renner (Galloway, OH) and freshman Samantha Barnes (Gallipolis, OH), captured the Mid-South Conference championship by finishing in a time of 9:20.75 - a mark that eclipsed the previous school-best time they'd set in March at Coastal Carolina University's Shamrock Invitational by nearly eight full seconds.
It was almost 28 seconds faster than the previous MSC meet record.
The foursome, including Lower as an alternate, advanced to the NAIA National Championship two weeks ago, but narrowly missed qualifying for the finals in the event.
Mattia also set a new MSC meet record in the 800-meter run with her finish of 2:16.37, bettering the old mark of 2:17.20 that she had established one year earlier.
That time, however, was nearly two seconds slower than the school-best 2:14.71, which she ran on April 21 at the Eastern Kentucky Open - a mark which qualified her for the national championship. Her finish in the EKU Open bettered her previous school record of 2:14.94 which, earlier this year, erased the previous school record of 2:15.20 set by Rio Grande Hall of Famer Perri Martin 32 years ago.
Unfortunately, Mattia also narrowly missed qualifying for the finals at the national championships.
Lower, an Intervention Specialist major, carries a 3.85 grade point average, while Mattia, a Communications major, had a 3.77 GPA. Student-athletes were required to carry a minimum 3.30 GPA in order to be considered for the honor.
Mattia and Lower now advance to the All-America ballot. First-, second-, and third-team selections on a national level will be announced later this month.
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - A pair of runners representing the University of Rio Grande have been named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-District women's track & field/cross country teams by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Senior Cassie Mattia (West Chester, OH) and junior Amy Lower (Lancaster, OH) were recognized for their combined performances in the classroom and on the track for the RedStorm.
CoSIDA's Academic All-District teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. This is the first year that the program has expanded from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non-Division I) to separate teams for NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and College (a combination of NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools).
Rio Grande is part of the District I College Division.
Mattia and Lower were both members of theRedStorm's 4x800 relay squad which re-wrote the school record book throughout the course of the indoor and outdoor season, although Lower was hampered by an injury for a good portion of the outdoor campaign.
The quartet, which also included seniors Kayla Graves (Chillicothe, OH) and Kayla Renner (Galloway, OH) and freshman Samantha Barnes (Gallipolis, OH), captured the Mid-South Conference championship by finishing in a time of 9:20.75 - a mark that eclipsed the previous school-best time they'd set in March at Coastal Carolina University's Shamrock Invitational by nearly eight full seconds.
It was almost 28 seconds faster than the previous MSC meet record.
The foursome, including Lower as an alternate, advanced to the NAIA National Championship two weeks ago, but narrowly missed qualifying for the finals in the event.
Mattia also set a new MSC meet record in the 800-meter run with her finish of 2:16.37, bettering the old mark of 2:17.20 that she had established one year earlier.
That time, however, was nearly two seconds slower than the school-best 2:14.71, which she ran on April 21 at the Eastern Kentucky Open - a mark which qualified her for the national championship. Her finish in the EKU Open bettered her previous school record of 2:14.94 which, earlier this year, erased the previous school record of 2:15.20 set by Rio Grande Hall of Famer Perri Martin 32 years ago.
Unfortunately, Mattia also narrowly missed qualifying for the finals at the national championships.
Lower, an Intervention Specialist major, carries a 3.85 grade point average, while Mattia, a Communications major, had a 3.77 GPA. Student-athletes were required to carry a minimum 3.30 GPA in order to be considered for the honor.
Mattia and Lower now advance to the All-America ballot. First-, second-, and third-team selections on a national level will be announced later this month.
