LONG BEACH, Calif. – Elon University junior men’s cross country runner John Tumbleston (Boone, N.C./Watauga) was named to the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America University Division Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country First Team today. He is a two-time First Team Academic All-District III selection.

The first, second and third teams recognize a combined 46 student-athletes, representing 37 different NCAA Division I institutions in the sports of men’s cross country, men’s indoor track and men’s outdoor track and field. Earlier this month, athletes were nominated by their sports information directors and selected to Academic All-District squads by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America within each of the eight districts, placing 80 candidates on the national ballot for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team.

Tumbleston becomes the ninth Phoenix athlete to reach CoSIDA Academic All-America status since Elon officially entered the NCAA Division I ranks six years ago, joining the University Division for the 1999-2000 academic year. He becomes the third Phoenix star to earn Academic All-America accolades this year, joining football player Brandon Mason and men’s tennis player Pramote Malasitt. He’s the first Elon athlete to obtain first team recognition as a junior since men’s tennis player Peter Lindstrom did it back in 1993.

Tumbleston has fashioned a 3.99 cumulative grade-point average during his three years as a double major in physics and science education at Elon. The two-time TIAA-CREF Academic All-Southern Conference member has also been inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Delta (International Studies), Pi Gamma Mu (Social Sciences), Chi Alpha Sigma (Athletics) and Phi Eta Sigma national honor societies. He is also a Teaching Fellow and an Honors Fellow.

A six-time President's List and six-time Athletics Director's Honor Roll student at Elon, Tumbleston was named the 2004-05 A.L. Hook Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Elon’s annual athletics banquet last month. Over the summer, he is conducting research with a physics professor at Wake Forest University. He served the Phoenix as a team co-captain last season and as one of the squad’s representatives on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council the past two years.

Tumbleston competed in six of Elon's seven 2004 races, emerging as the squad's top finisher on four occasions including at the Southern Conference Meet and at the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet on his way to earning team MVP honors. He finished 15th out of 75 runners at the Adidas Invitational at N.C. State, 58th out of 175 athletes at the Furman Invitational and 32nd out of 85 competitors at the Southern Conference Meet last fall.

2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® University Division Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country Team
First Team
Andrew Aakre, North Dakota State, Sr., Stephen, Minn., 3.72, Civil Engineering
Ryan Bender, Duquesne, Sr., Indiana, Pa., 3.87, Pharmacy
Nathan Brown, Wisconsin, Jr., Madison, Wisc., 3.99, Biochemistry
Adam Davis, Rice, Sr., Spring, Texas, 3.96, Economics
Ty Denby, VMI, Sr., Scottsville, Va., 4.00, Chemistry
Jared Essler, North Dakota State, Sr., Minot, N.D., 3.83, Social Science/Physical Education
Steve Holland, Long Beach State, Jr., Whittier, Calif., 3.96, Business Administration
Dirk Homewood, Northern Iowa, Sr., Cedar Falls, Iowa, 3.77, Mathematics Education
Andrew Maloney, Saint Francis (Pa.), Sr., Toronto, Ontario, 3.96, Management
Todd Mobley, Notre Dame, Sr., Bloomfield, Mich., 3.85, Business Administration
Jonathan Severy, Colorado, Sr., Aspen, Colo., 3.76, Philosophy
Andrew Sherman, Butler, Grad., Swindon, England, 4.00, Education
Marc Steckler, North Dakota State, Sr., Fargo, N.D., 3.99, Mechanical Engineering (Academic All-American of the Year)
John Tumbleston, Elon, Jr., Boone, N.C., 3.99, Physics/Science Education
Jaanus Uudmae, Arkansas, Sr., Tallin, Estonia, 4.00, Computer Science
Second Team
John Albert, Minnesota, Jr., Bloomington, Minn., 3.82, Business Administration
Michael Breshears, Southwest Missouri State, So., Excelsior Springs, Mo., 4.00, Admin. Management
Sean Furey, Dartmouth, Sr., Methuen, Mass., 3.67, Engineering
John Henderson, North Carolina State, Jr., Hendersonville, N.C., 4.00, Mathematics Education
Aaron Hill, Northeastern, Jr., Ben Wheeler, Texas, 3.97, Electrical Engineering
Garrett Johnson, Florida State, So., Tampa, Fla., 3.82, Political Science
Jonathan Kornonen, Massachusetts, Sr., Gardner, Mass., 3.94, Communications
Thomas Lancashire, Florida State, So., Bolton, England, 3.89, Exercise Science
Brad Lowery, South Dakota State, Sr., Pierre, S.D., 3.74, Physics
Brian MacPhee, Virginia Tech, Sr., Golden Lake, Ontario, 4.00, Physical Education
Michael Nicks, Colorado State, Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo. 3.79, Business Administration
Chad Sanada, Southern Utah, Jr., Reno, Nev., 3.95, Chemistry
Gabriel Wallin, Boise State, Sr., Sodertalie, Sweden, 3.87, Economics
Brent Wilberts, Drake, Gr., Shoreview, Minn., 3.64, Accounting/Management
Andy Young, Oregon, Jr., Newberg, Ore., 3.81, Human Physiology
Steve Zieminski, Florida, Gr., Sarasota, Fla., 3.70, Accounting
Third Team
Jess Baumgarnter, Southern Utah, So., Cedar City, Utah, 3.92, Chemistry
Aaron Castro, Texas-Pan American, Jr., McAllen, Texas, 3.98, Business Administration
Joe Detmer, Wisconsin, Jr., Lodi, Wisc., 3.60, Computer Engineering
Nathan Egger, Michigan State, Sr., Mason, Minn., 3.96, Finance
Ryan French, Iowa State, Sr., Marion, Iowa, 3.94, Economics
Matt Gund, Arkansas, Jr., Idaho Falls, Idaho, 3.83, International Relations
Andrew Heath, Auburn, Jr., Marietta, Ga., 3.76, Civil Engineering
Ian Mayne, Chattanooga, Sr., Pickering, Ohio, 3.81, Pre-Medicine
Will Merchad, UC Davis, Sr., Davis, Calif., 3.90, Managerial Economics
Lucas Meyer, Yale, Sr., Ridgefield, Conn., 3.38, Comparative Literature
David Mitchell, Miami (Ohio), Sr., Woodridge, Ill., 3.78, English Literature
Sean O'Donnell, Notre Dame, Sr., Kansas City, Mo., 3.85, Engineering
Aldwyn Sappleton, Oklahoma, Gr., Clarendon, Jamaica, 3.33, MBA
Matt Scherer, Oregon, Jr., Sumner, Ill., 3.63, Business Administration
Ryan Sheehan, Saint Francis (Pa.), Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa., 3.44, Biology

Elon CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (University Division*)
2000 – John Marshall, Men’s Golf (Second Team Men’s Spring At-Large)
2001 – Julianne Treme, Women’s Tennis (Second Team Women’s Spring At-Large)
2001 – John Marshall, Men’s Golf (First Team Men’s Spring At-Large)
2002 – Jim Swenson, Baseball (Second Team)
2003 – Brandon Mason, Football (Second Team)
2004 – Gary Morris, Baseball (Third Team)
2004 – Brandon Mason, Football (First Team)
2005 – Pramote Malasitt, Men’s Tennis (Second Team Men’s At-Large)
2005 – John Tumbleston, Men’s Cross Country (First Team Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country)

* Elon joined the University Division when it became an official member of the NCAA Division I for the 1999-2000 academic year.

– ELON –