CINCINNATI - The College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA) Academic All-District selections have been announced with two members of the University of Cincinnati track and field/cross country program earning placements to the District 5 First Team for the 2016-17 cross country and track & field year. Adrian Valles was selected for the men's team for the second year in a row while Juliana Madzia earned her first selection for the women's team.
With their selections to the first team, both Bearcats have now been placed on the ballot to be considered for CoSIDA Academic All-American honors that will be announced in June. Both individuals were selected in a vote of collegiate sports information staff members from around the district. To be eligible for selection, a student-athlete had to maintain a 3.30 GPA or better, be a significant contributor to his/her team and have been enrolled at the nominating institution for one full calendar year.
Valles garnered a selection to the district team for the second year in a row with the pole vault specialist earning CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team distinction for 2015-16. The district honor is not his first academic accolade received this year as he was previously named the 2016-17 American Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The junior from Pamplona, Spain, recently received his degree from UC in industrial management and will continue to train and compete for the Bearcats next year while beginning a graduate degree program on campus. Next year, the school's indoor and outdoor record holder will look to close out an undefeated conference career as he has already swept the previous three indoor and outdoor crowns in the American.
Madzia has been the epitome of student-athlete in her short two years with the Bearcats. After walking onto the team for the 2015-16 academic year, the recent neurobiology graduate was one of the top distance runners at UC as she led the women's cross country team to a sixth-place showing this fall, the team's best finish since 2004, and also added her name to the outdoor record books in the 5,000m and 10,000m runs this year. Continually active in both academics and the community, Madzia recently earned the UC President's Leadership Medal of Excellence, the highest award on campus and the first time a female student-athlete has been tapped for the honor. The recipient of the AAC's Commissioner's Postgraduate Leadership Award, Madzia will enroll at the UC College of Medicine's Medical Science Training Program where she will work toward her MD and PhD in epidemiology.
While Madzia's athletic career has come to a close following a ninth-place showing and a 30-second personal-best time at the AAC Oudoor Championships two weeks ago, Valles is still in the hunt on the national scene. Valles is set to compete in the pole vault at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Lexington, Ky., on Friday afternoon with a Top 12 finish earning him a berth into the NCAA Finals in Eugene, Ore., June 7-10. Should Valles advance to Eugene, it would mark his sixth national appearance in a row.
CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 Selections
Women: Juliana Madzia
Men: Adrian Valles
Recent UC CoSIDA Academic All-District Honorees
2017 - Adrian Valles & Juliana Madzia (W)
2016 - Adrian Valles
2015 - Brian Barney
2013 - Matt Bova & Mackenzie Fields (W)
2012 - Eric Finan
Madzia, Valles Earn CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 Accolades
