October 30, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS , IOWA . . . Seven Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) soccer student-athletes were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII College Division Soccer Teams selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and announced on Thursday.

Loras College defender Nate Minkel (Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown) was named to the men's soccer Academic All-District VII College Division First Team, while Loras College midfielder Santiago Mejia (Cali, Colombia/Colegio Bolivar) and Simpson College defender Matt Winegard (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine) were named to the Second Team.

Wartburg College forward Rachel Oswald (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert) was a repeat selection to the women’s soccer Academic All-District VII College Division First Team, while Central College defender Alyssa Brobst (Pella, Iowa/Pella), Central College midfielder Jenna Hindman (Swisher, Iowa/Cedar Rapids Prairie), and Loras College goalkeeper Torey Murray (Des Moines, Iowa/Lincoln) were named to the Second Team.

Minkel is a junior accounting and economics major with a 3.94 grade point average. Mejia is a junior electromechanical engineering major with a 3.33 GPA. Winegard is a junior biology major with a 3.79 GPA. Oswald is a senior business administration major with a 3.70 GPA. Brobst is a sophomore biology major with a 4.00 GPA. Hindman is a junior exercise science/athletic training major with a 3.80 GPA. Murray is a senior pre-med major with a 3.90 GPA.

Academic All-District First Team members move on to the national ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® ballot. The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® women’s soccer Team is scheduled to be announced on Tuesday, November 18 and the men’s soccer Team is scheduled to be announced on Wednesday, November 19.

To be eligible for selection to the Academic All-District Team, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing, be a starter or key reserve and possess at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).

District VII College Division includes NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA schools in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

-30-