GOOGLE CLOUD ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® TEAM S ELECTED BY C O S IDA

For Release: Monday, June 18 – Noon ET SAMANTHA LIERMANN OF CONCORDIA (NEB.) AND JASON KENNY OF MORNINGSIDE LEAD GOOGLE CLOUD ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® COLLEGE DIVISION TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS

AUSTIN, Texas – Senior Samantha Liermann of Concordia (Neb.) University and senior Jason Kenny of Morningside College headline the 2017-18 Google Cloud Academic All-America® College Division Track & Field/Cross Country Teams as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The Google Cloud Academic All-America® College Division Track & Field/Cross Country Teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions.

Liermann, a native of Wisner, Nebraska, won the indoor shot put national title and placed as the runner up at the NAIA Outdoor National Championship. She also swept Great Plains Athletic Conference shot put titles. The University of Nebraska transfer has achieved All- America status at each of the six national meets she has competed in. She is majoring in recreation and sport studies and business administration and boasts a 3.99 GPA.

Liermann, who was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team last year, is one of four repeat selections on this year’s team. Friends University’s Chelsea Baker and Saint Xavier University’s Ellie Willging were named to the first team in 2016-17, while Northwestern College’s Katie Landhuis was named to the second team.

The Google Cloud Academic All-America® first team had a combined GPA of 3.95 and included a trio of perfect 4.0 marks.

Headlining the men’s team is Kenny, a senior distance runner from Schaller, Iowa, who finished with a perfect 4.00 cumulative GPA with a major in applied agricultural & food studies. Kenny earned All-America honors at the 2018 NAIA Outdoor National Championship when he helped lead the Mustangs to a fifth-place finish in the 3,200-meter relay. Kenny earned All-GPAC honors in cross country and was a two-time NAIA Indoor All-American in the 1,000-meter run with a fourth-place finish at the 2018 NAIA Indoor National Championship and an eighth-place finish in 2017.

Joining Kenny, who was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team last year, as a repeat selection on this year’s team are teammate Jacob Green, Indiana Institute of Technology’s Malik Stuart, and Cornerstone University’s Kyle Steigenga. Stuart was named to the Academic All-America® team for the third time as he was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team last year and the second team in 2015-16. Green and Steigenga were on the CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team a year ago.

The Google Cloud Academic All-America® first team had a combined GPA of 3.88 and included four student-athletes with perfect 4.0 marks.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Michael MacEachern, Young Harris College | Google Cloud Academic All-America® Co-Director for Publicity [email protected] | (706) 379-5106

Aaron Sagraves, Cornerstone University | Google Cloud Academic All-America® Coordinator of Publicity [email protected] | (616) 977-5415

2017-18 Academic All-America® Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country Team College Division

FIRST TEAM Name School Yr. GPA Major Nicholas Arnecke Delhi (SUNY) Jr. 3.98 Restaurant & Food Service Management John Gay University of British Columbia Sr. 3.50 International Relations Christian Graham University of Saint Mary Sr. 3.71 Interdisciplinary Studies Jacob Green (2) Morningside College Sr. 3.90 Biology / Chemistry Philip Hassell Robert Morris University (Ill.) Sr. 4.00 Management Scott Johnson Concordia University (Neb.) Sr. 3.94 Biology / Chemistry Jason Kenny (2) Morningside College Sr. 4.00 Applied Agricultural & Food Studies Josiah McAllister Concordia University (Neb.) Jr. 4.00 Pre-Medicine Seth Schenck Columbia College (Mo.) Sr. 4.00 History Malik Stuart (1,#) Indiana Institute of Technology Sr. 3.78 Software Engineering

SECOND TEAM Name School Yr. GPA Major Stephen Cho Taylor University Sr. 3.56 Management Bret Crawford Campbellsville University Sr. 3.72 Biology Chris Emter Carroll College Sr. 3.71 Finance Corey Hermann Dakota State University Jr. 4.00 Cyber Operations Justin McKenzie Indiana Institute of Technology Sr. 3.37 Criminal Justice / Crime Analysis Kyle Miller Embry-Riddle University (Ariz.) Sr. 4.00 Aerospace Engineering Darian Pacula Mount Vernon Nazarene University Sr. 3.91 Mechanical Engineering Sonwabiso Skhosana Wayland Baptist University Sr. 3.85 Accounting Kyle Steigenga (2) Cornerstone University (Mich.) Sr. 3.97 Education Alan Varela Doane University Jr. 3.81 Secondary Math Education

Google Cloud Academic All-America® of the Year: Jason Kenny, Morningside College

(1) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® College Division first team selection in 2016-17 (2) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® College Division second team selection in 2016-17 (#) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® College Division second team selection in 2015-16

2017-18 Academic All-America® Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Team College Division

FIRST TEAM Name School Yr. GPA Major Chelsea Baker (1) Friends University Sr. 3.85 Physical Education / Teacher Education Alex Berends Taylor University Sr. 3.94 Political Sci. / Philosophy / Econ & Int'l Studies Charlotte Culiver Arizona Christian University Sr. 4.00 Biology Emily Harsin Doane University Sr. 3.99 Elementary Education Katie Landhuis (2) Northwestern College Sr. 3.89 Exercise Science / Physical Education & Health Samantha Liermann (1) Concordia University (Neb.) Sr. 3.99 Recreation & Sport Studies / Business Admin. Ashley Plumb St. Ambrose University Sr. 3.95 Psychology Ione Rodriguez Our Lady of the Lake University Gr. 4.00/4.00 Psychology – Marriage and Family Therapy Chena Underhill Westmont College So. 4.00 Political Science & Data Analytics Ellie Willging (1) Saint Xavier University Sr. 3.96 Political Science

SECOND TEAM Name School Yr. GPA Major Taylor Bluemel Taylor University So. 3.94 Elementary Education Emily Deschaine Concordia University (Neb.) Sr. 3.99 Secondary Education, English and Music Megan DeWeerd Trinity Christian College Jr. 3.92 Psychology Keili Dorn Embry-Riddle University (Ariz.) Jr. 3.94 Global Security & Intelligence Hannah Drake Cornerstone University (Mich.) Jr. 3.79 Accounting Business Finance Natali Engle Friends University Sr. 3.92 Health Sciences Christa Follette Friends University Sr. 4.00 Health Sciences Julia Kaster Southeastern University Sr. 3.97 Biology Claire Otero College of Idaho Sr. 3.83 Chemistry Kinsey Pease Arizona Christian University Sr. 4.00 Secondary Education Anna Souzis Taylor University Jr. 3.90 Exercise Science Rebecca Starrett Missouri Baptist University Jr. 4.00 Biology

Google Cloud Academic All-America® of the Year: Samantha Liermann, Concordia (Neb.) University

(1) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® College Division first team selection in 2016-17 (2) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® College Division second team selection in 2016-17