DALLAS (SMU) - SMU runners Karin van Rooyen and Dalibor Balgac have been named to the Verizon Academic All-District VI Track & Field/Cross Country Team, the organization announced Thursday, May 29.
van Rooyen, a sophomore from Ermelo, South Africa, has maintained a 3.52 GPA in Mechanical Engineering while earning All-America honors as a runner. The cross country and track star is a school record holder in the 5,000m, a multiple-time winner of WAC Athlete of the Week honors, the 2001 WAC XC & Track Newcomer of the Year and was the 2002 WAC XC Athlete of the Year.
Balgac, a junior from Kutina, Croatia, has earned a 3.35 GPA as a business major and is a two-time All-American on the track. The two-sport standout holds several school records, is a multiple-time winner of WAC Athlete of the Week honors, and is the two-time defending High Point Award Winner at the WAC Track & Field Championships.
The 2003 season continues this weekend, May 30-31, when the Ponies run in the NCAA Regionals in Lincoln, Neb.
2003 Verizon Academic All-District VI Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Team
First Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Emma Allvin New Mexico St. Jr. Gavle, Sweden 4.00 Sociology
Allison Beckford Rice Sr. Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica 3.42 Kinesiology
Andreina Byrd Arkansas Sr. Lambshein, Germany 3.90 Microbiology
Alice Falaiye Rice Sr. Brampton, Ontario 3.72 Policy Studies/Sociology
Amanda Felder Rice Sr. Houston, Texas 4.047 Mechanical Engineering
Kajsa Haglund UT-Arlington Jr. Bastad, Sweden 3.88 Psychology
April Johnson Tulsa Sr. Fayetteville, Arkansas 4.00 Marketing
Jessica Johnson Arkansas Sr. Dallas, Texas 3.71 Animal Science
Erin Simms Texas Sr. Pascagoula, Mississippi 3.85 Art History
Karin van Rooyen SMU So. Ermelo, South Africa 3.52 Mechanical Engineering
Second Team
Kim Burress, New Mexico St.; Rachael Cuellar, New Mexico St.; Alaina Dearman,
Oklahoma; Sarah Haskins, Tulsa; Jeanne Menard, La.-Lafayette; Shannon Murto,
Rice; Trina Peters, Nicholls St.; Katie Poindexter, UT-San Antonio; Shana
Robinson, Tulsa; Karen Sari-Bentzur, New Mexico
2003 Verizon Academic All-District VI Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Team
First Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Kevin Barra Texas Sr. Katy, Texas 3.38 Government
Blake Carpenter Tulsa So. Baytown, Texas 3.94 Electrical
Adam Davis Rice Jr. Spring, Texas 4.02 Economics/Kinesiology
Fred Day Houston Sr. San Antonio, Texas 3.78 Finance
Michael Frater TCU Jr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 3.49 Political
Ryan Gorman SW Texas St. Sr. New Braunsfels, Texas 4.00 Political
Darren Hutchins Oklahoma Jr. Choctaw, Okla. 3.88 Math
David Jacobs Rice Jr. Essendon, Australia 3.86 Economics/Managerial
Josh Landreth Arkansas Sr. Elk City, Okla. 3.90 Horticulture
Ben Orozco Tulsa Jr. Kanopolis, Kan. 3.95 Biology/Pre-Med
Greg Rouault Oklahoma St. Sr. Chambourcy, France 3.70 Marketing
Second Team
Dalibor Balgac, SMU; Christopher Boldt, Mississippi St.; Mark Johnson, New Mexico;
Ben Lake, Oklahoma St.; Austin Landreth, Oklahoma; Eric Mazza, Rice; Aldwyn
Sappleton, Oklahoma; Ramon Washington, Arkansas; Ben Wiggins, Rice.
