Three Nanooks named to Capital One Academic All-America Division II At-Large teams
June 7, 2013
Chris Brooks
907-474-6805
Three Alaska Nanooks student-athletes were named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Division II At-Large Teams on Wednesday, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Student-athletes are selected based on a combination of athletic performance as well as academics.
Sophomore shooter Ryan Anderson (Great Falls, Va./Biology) and senior skier Lex Treinen (Anchorage, Alaska/Northern Studies) were selected as Second Team Academic All-Americans® on the men's side while sophomore skier Alyson McPhetres (Chugiak, Alaska/Spanish & Geological Engineering) was tabbed as a Third Team Academic All-American® on the women's side. Since the first honoree in 1989, 10 Nanooks have now been chosen as an Academic All-American®.
“It's outstanding to see these fine student-athletes honored in this way,” Dr. Gary Gray, director of athletics, said. “Their academic accomplishments are significant, especially since two of the three are still early in their athletic careers as Alaska Nanooks.”
The trio set a new mark in the history of Alaska athletics, as no more than two student-athletes had ever been chosen to an Academic All-America® Team in a single year. In 2012, skier Erik Soderstrom was a First Team selection and women's basketball's Nicole Bozek was a Third Team pick. Back in 2008, skiing's Marius Korthauer and Vahur Teppanwere First and Second Team members, respectively.
Treinen is the fourth Alaska men's skier to be honored on the AAA list in history while both Anderson and McPhetres are the first shooter and women's skier to receive the accolade.
Anderson, who holds a 3.88 GPA, was a National Rifle Association First Team All-American for smallbore as well as a Second Team All-American in air rifle this past year. He led the team in both areas at the NCAA Championship to lead the Nanooks to a fourth-place finish. Following the collegiate season, Anderson went on to take the gold medal in the three-position and prone smallbore events while also taking silver in the air rifle at the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships.
Treinen, who had a 3.78 GPA as an undergraduate and holds a 4.0 in his graduate program, took runner-up in the 15-kilometer freestyle at the NCAA Central Region Championship to help the men's skiing program take second. He was also third in the 20-kilometer classic at the conference championship to help the Nanooks to a third-place team finish. Prior to this year, Treinen was a two-time NCAA All-American and has qualified for the NCAA Championship three times. He was also a member of the U.S. U-23 World Championship Team in 2011.
McPhetres, a dual-sport athlete who double majors in Spanish and geological engineering, holds a solid 3.92 GPA. She was one of two women's skiers for the Nanooks to qualify for the 2013 NCAA Championship after winning both events at the Central Region Championship to lead the Nanook women to the team title. She was also the conference champion in the 15-kilometer freestyle skate and was honored on the All-Central Collegiate Ski Association Second Team. As a member of the cross country program, she was a 2011 NCAA Championship participant and earned a spot on both the GNAC and USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams.
Anderson and Treinen were two of six males from the West Region to be chosen to either the First, Second or Third Teams while McPhetres was one of four females from the region to make the national list.
For more information, contact Chris Brooks , Media Relations Assistant, at cpbrooks@alaska.edu.