University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: (Ben Solomon/American Athletic Conference)
Six Track And Field Tigers Earn CoSIDA Academic Honors
May 31, 2018 | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track and Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track and Field
The six academic all-district selections are a program record.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Six University of Memphis track and field/cross country student-athletes were named to the Google Cloud/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District III Team, the national organization announced Thursday.
The six Tigers are Kristen Adams, Brock Ballard, Olushola Olojo, Aaron Persinger, Ashley Pryke and Rafael Vallery. The six Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-District III Team selections are a program record.
Olojo is the lone repeat selection for the Tigers. Last year, he was a CoSIDA Academic All-District III pick and also was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America third team. Pryke (women's javelin) and Vallery (men's discus) are NCAA Championships qualifiers in their respective events and head to Eugene, Ore., for the national meet next week.
Below are Memphis' Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-District III Team members and a brief biographical sketch on each:
Kristen Adams
Major: Health Sciences
GPA: 3.97
Earned All-American Athletic Conference honors for cross country in 2014 … Became only the third female runner in Memphis cross country history to receive all-conference accolades… Placed 13th at the 2014 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships… Ran her 6k best in that championships race (21:39.0)… Competed in the 2014 NCAA South Region Championships… Three-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree… Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … Graduated from the University of Memphis with a bachelor's degree in health sciences.
Brock Ballard
Major: Finance/Accounting (double major)
GPA: 3.96
Ran in three American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships (2015-17)… Posted a personal-best 8k time of 25:60.6 at the 2015 league championships… Three-time medalist at the American Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships, winning bronze all three times … Won his first bronze in the 1500 meters at the 2017 league outdoor championships … Repeated that performance (bronze) at the 2018 conference outdoor meet … Took third in the mile at the 2018 conference indoor meet in a personal-best time of 4:12.06 … Posted 19 career top-three finishes in his distance events … Three-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … Graduated from the University of Memphis with a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting (double major).
Olushola Olojo
Major: Business Economics
GPA: 3.96
2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America third team … 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-District III … Missed most of the 2017 outdoor season and 2018 indoor campaign due to injuries … Three-time conference medalist (one gold/two silvers) … Won the triple jump crown at the 2017 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships … Won the title with a personal-best effort of 50-6.25 (15.40m) … Earned his two silvers in the long and triple jumps at the 2016 league championships … His 23-7.5 (7.20m) mark in the long jump is a personal-best … Has 14 career top-three performances in the jumps (long/triple combined) … Transferred to the University of Memphis from Kent State prior to the 2015-16 season … Two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … A business economics major.
Aaron Persinger
Major: Exercise, Sport and Movement Sciences
GPA: 3.98
Earned two All-American Athletic Conference honors in the hurdles … 2016 NCAA East Preliminaries qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles … Won silver in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in February … Placed second in the event with a personal-best time of 8.02 … Earned bronze in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 52.10 at the 2016 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships … Posted 26 career top-three performances in all of his hurdle events, including 12 titles … Served as president of the Tigers' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for three years … 2015-16 U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic selection … Four-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … Graduated from the University of Memphis with a bachelor's degree in exercise, sport and movement sciences.
Ashley Pryke
Major: Exercise, Sport and Movement Sciences
GPA: 3.88
Advanced to the NCAA Championships in the women's javelin for a second-straight year … Qualified for the 2018 national meet with her second-place performance (178-4; 54.36m) at last weekend's NCAA East Preliminaries … Won her second-consecutive league javelin title (176-5; 53.77m) at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships in mid-May … Threw a 2018 season-best 178-11 (54.55m) at the Rhodes Invitational in mid-March … Has second-best javelin mark among Canadian throwers in 2018 (Athletics Canada) … Placed third in the javelin at the 2017 NCAA Championships with a school-record throw of 186-9 (56.93m) … For her efforts at the national meet, earned All-America first team accolades … Has 15 career javelin titles, including seven in 2018 … Two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member… Two-time U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honoree … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … An exercise, sport and movement sciences major.
Rafael Vallery
Major: Finance (minor in Accounting)
GPA: 3.99
Advanced to his first NCAA Championships, qualifying in the men's discus with a ninth-place finish at last weekend's NCAA East Preliminaries … Five-time NCAA East Preliminaries qualifier in the shot put and discus … Four-time American Athletic Conference medalist in the throws… Two-time medalist at the 2018 conference outdoor meet, winning silver in the discus and bronze in the shot put… Set outdoor personal-bests in both the discus and shot put at his final home meet, the Memphis Invitational, in late April… Threw a 191-3 (58.30m) in the discus and a 60-7.25 (18.47m) in the shot put… Placed second (won silver) in the shot put at the league indoor championships in late February… Won his first conference medal (bronze) in the discus at the 2017 league outdoor championships… Had 27 career top-three finishes in his throws events … Three-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member… Two-time U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honoree … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … Graduated from the University of Memphis with a bachelor's degree in finance and a minor in accounting.
The six Tigers are Kristen Adams, Brock Ballard, Olushola Olojo, Aaron Persinger, Ashley Pryke and Rafael Vallery. The six Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-District III Team selections are a program record.
Olojo is the lone repeat selection for the Tigers. Last year, he was a CoSIDA Academic All-District III pick and also was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America third team. Pryke (women's javelin) and Vallery (men's discus) are NCAA Championships qualifiers in their respective events and head to Eugene, Ore., for the national meet next week.
Below are Memphis' Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-District III Team members and a brief biographical sketch on each:
Kristen Adams
Major: Health Sciences
GPA: 3.97
Earned All-American Athletic Conference honors for cross country in 2014 … Became only the third female runner in Memphis cross country history to receive all-conference accolades… Placed 13th at the 2014 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships… Ran her 6k best in that championships race (21:39.0)… Competed in the 2014 NCAA South Region Championships… Three-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree… Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … Graduated from the University of Memphis with a bachelor's degree in health sciences.
Brock Ballard
Major: Finance/Accounting (double major)
GPA: 3.96
Ran in three American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships (2015-17)… Posted a personal-best 8k time of 25:60.6 at the 2015 league championships… Three-time medalist at the American Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships, winning bronze all three times … Won his first bronze in the 1500 meters at the 2017 league outdoor championships … Repeated that performance (bronze) at the 2018 conference outdoor meet … Took third in the mile at the 2018 conference indoor meet in a personal-best time of 4:12.06 … Posted 19 career top-three finishes in his distance events … Three-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … Graduated from the University of Memphis with a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting (double major).
Olushola Olojo
Major: Business Economics
GPA: 3.96
2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America third team … 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-District III … Missed most of the 2017 outdoor season and 2018 indoor campaign due to injuries … Three-time conference medalist (one gold/two silvers) … Won the triple jump crown at the 2017 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships … Won the title with a personal-best effort of 50-6.25 (15.40m) … Earned his two silvers in the long and triple jumps at the 2016 league championships … His 23-7.5 (7.20m) mark in the long jump is a personal-best … Has 14 career top-three performances in the jumps (long/triple combined) … Transferred to the University of Memphis from Kent State prior to the 2015-16 season … Two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … A business economics major.
Aaron Persinger
Major: Exercise, Sport and Movement Sciences
GPA: 3.98
Earned two All-American Athletic Conference honors in the hurdles … 2016 NCAA East Preliminaries qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles … Won silver in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in February … Placed second in the event with a personal-best time of 8.02 … Earned bronze in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 52.10 at the 2016 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships … Posted 26 career top-three performances in all of his hurdle events, including 12 titles … Served as president of the Tigers' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for three years … 2015-16 U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic selection … Four-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … Graduated from the University of Memphis with a bachelor's degree in exercise, sport and movement sciences.
Ashley Pryke
Major: Exercise, Sport and Movement Sciences
GPA: 3.88
Advanced to the NCAA Championships in the women's javelin for a second-straight year … Qualified for the 2018 national meet with her second-place performance (178-4; 54.36m) at last weekend's NCAA East Preliminaries … Won her second-consecutive league javelin title (176-5; 53.77m) at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships in mid-May … Threw a 2018 season-best 178-11 (54.55m) at the Rhodes Invitational in mid-March … Has second-best javelin mark among Canadian throwers in 2018 (Athletics Canada) … Placed third in the javelin at the 2017 NCAA Championships with a school-record throw of 186-9 (56.93m) … For her efforts at the national meet, earned All-America first team accolades … Has 15 career javelin titles, including seven in 2018 … Two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member… Two-time U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honoree … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … An exercise, sport and movement sciences major.
Rafael Vallery
Major: Finance (minor in Accounting)
GPA: 3.99
Advanced to his first NCAA Championships, qualifying in the men's discus with a ninth-place finish at last weekend's NCAA East Preliminaries … Five-time NCAA East Preliminaries qualifier in the shot put and discus … Four-time American Athletic Conference medalist in the throws… Two-time medalist at the 2018 conference outdoor meet, winning silver in the discus and bronze in the shot put… Set outdoor personal-bests in both the discus and shot put at his final home meet, the Memphis Invitational, in late April… Threw a 191-3 (58.30m) in the discus and a 60-7.25 (18.47m) in the shot put… Placed second (won silver) in the shot put at the league indoor championships in late February… Won his first conference medal (bronze) in the discus at the 2017 league outdoor championships… Had 27 career top-three finishes in his throws events … Three-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member… Two-time U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honoree … Dean's List student and Tiger 3.0 Club member at the University of Memphis … Graduated from the University of Memphis with a bachelor's degree in finance and a minor in accounting.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
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