May 23, 2002

Five Track & Field Athletes Earn Academic All-District Honors

Five members of the Truman State University track & field teams were named today to the Verizon Academic All-District VII team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Three of the Bulldog athletes named to the team are from the women's team, including seniors Kasye Hahn (St. Louis/Ladue), Beth Luebbering (St. Thomas, Mo./Helias) and Megan Williams (Columbia, Mo./Hickman). From the Truman men's team, senior Dave Mayhew (Prior Lake, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) and junior Matt Helbig (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit) were selected.

It's the first year for the Verizon Academic All-America Track & Field/Cross Country teams. Previously, track & field/cross country athletes who qualified for Verizon Academic All-America status were nominated for the fall and/or spring at-large teams.

Hahn, Luebbering and Mayhew were named to the first team and will move on to the Verizon Academic All-America ballot. Williams and Helbig were picked for the second team.

Hahn, a two-time all-America with the 4x400-meter relay, maintains a 3.97 GPA in English. This year, Hahn has won Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championships both indoors and outdoors in the 400-meter dash. She also led the 4x400- and 4x100-meter relay teams to conference titles at the outdoor meet earlier this month. She's a three-time national qualifier in the 4x400-meter relay, including this year. In 2002, she has set school records in both the indoor and outdoor 400-meter dashes as well as leading the 4x400 team to a new school standard.

Luebbering is a two-time Verizon Academic All-America Spring At-Large first-team member and also a third-team fall at-large performer in 2001. She holds a 3.97 GPA in agricultural science/pre-veterinary studies and is a two-time all-America outdoors in the 10,000-meter run. She completed an outstanding Truman career this spring by collecting her 18th total all-conference honor in indoor and outdoor track & field when she earned all-MIAA in the 10,000-meter run and 3,000-meter run. She's also a three-time all-conference and two-time all-region performer in cross country.

Mayhew wrapped up his Bulldog career this month as well with third-place finishes in both the 110- and 400-meter hurdles at the MIAA outdoor championships. He maintains a 3.88 GPA in biology/pre-medicine and is a three-time all-conference performer in the 110-meter hurdles. The school record-holder in the 110-meter hurdles as well as the 55- and 60-meter indoor variety, Mayhew is a four-year academic all-conference athlete.

Williams, who has a 3.89 GPA in biology, won her third straight MIAA championship in the 100-meter hurdles earlier this month and beat her own school record with a time of 13.84 seconds at the Emporia State Twilight Qualifier on May 11. A two-time all-America in the 100-meter hurdles (outdoors) and 60-meter hurdles (indoors), she also finishes her career with three consecutive indoor conference titles in the 55- or 60-meter hurdles. She has 24 career wins in the 100-meter hurdles and enters this week's NCAA Division II Championships with the second-fastest time in the nation this year.

Helbig has a 3.62 GPA in pre-physical therapy/pre-education (secondary) and was the outdoor conference champ in the 1,500-meter run. The 2000 MIAA indoor champion in the 800 meters, Helbig is making his second NCAA appearance in the 1,500 this week. He's also a two-time all-conference runner in cross country, and will return to the Bulldogs in 2002 after redshirting the '01 cross country campaign.

Three of the Bulldog athletes, Hahn, Williams and Helbig, are among 13 Bulldogs competing this week in San Angelo, Texas at the 2002 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The event began today and will conclude on Saturday.

Releases | Men's Track & Field | Women's Track & Field | Truman Athletics