June 27, 2007

Wayne State University senior cross country runner Jenni Culbertson (Clinton Twp., Mich./Dakota), a four-year letterwinner who recorded a 4.00 term gpa all eight semesters, has been selected to the CoSIDA Women's Track/Cross Country Academic All-America Second Team.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

Culbertson is the first WSU female cross country runner to earn Academic All-America accolades and joins 1995 recipient Chris Donnelly (a third team at-large selection) as the only Wayne State runners so honored.

She is the third WSU student-athlete to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in the last five years - men's hockey player Dustin Kingston in 2003, and swimmer David Lutz in 2005 - and 20th all-time since football defensive back Gary Schultz in 1971.

For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.