TicketsCINCINNATI - Adrian Valles, a four-year standout for the University of Cincinnati track and field program, has garnered another academic honor as the Pamplona, Spain, native has been selected to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America Second Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The honor is the third earned by Valles, adding to his impressive resume of both athletic and academic honors. Valles, who recently completed his collegiate career with the Bearcats this past outdoor season, was selected earlier as a Google Cloud Academic All-District 5 First Team honoree, the third of his career. His selection to the second team nationally this year marks his third honor in as many years and his second selection to the second team after being a first-team honoree last year.
// HISTORIC SELECTION
With his selection, Valles now joins Scott Keane as the most decorated student-athlete in UC history as the former thrower on the Bearcats track & field roster was also a three-time honoree, earning Academic All-America awards through the At-Large Selections (track & field/cross country later became it's own category). Keane was a second-team selection in 1995 before earning first-team accolades in both 1996 and 1997. He also was selected as the Academic All-American of the Year in 1997.
All told, Valles' 2017-18 honor is the 44th in the history of UC Athletics and the 13th for track & field/cross country competitors. His selection also give the track & field program at least one Academic All-American for the fourth year in a row. Now tied with Keane for the most awards in UC history, the duo are just two of the five Bearcats that were honored multiple times, including Mike Shingleton (at-large/men's soccer) in 1994 (2nd team) and 1995 (2nd team); Becky Ruehl (at-large/volleyball) in 1997 (1st team) and 2000 (1st team); and Julie DuPont (volleyball) in 2003 (2nd team) and 2004 (1st team).
// MORE ACADEMICS
Valles once again made an impressive haul in academic awards during the 2017-18 year. In March, at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Valles was named the NCAA Elite 90 Award winner for the second year in a row as the competitor at the final site with the highest cumulative grade-point average. That was followed by the American Athletic Conference naming him the 2017-18 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year for indoor track & field, as well as the overall AAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Those accolades were followed recently by his selection to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 5 First Team.
// STILL VAULTING
A six-time USTFCCCA All-American and seven-time AAC Champion, Valles was unable to compete much of the outdoor season because of an injury, but, has recently returned to the runway and is set to resume competition this week in his native Spain. A two-time IAAF World Championships competitor, Valles will vault in the Meeting of Madrid Friday (June 22) before heading to the Landau Meeting (Germany) in July, returning to the meet in which he cleared a PR 5.70m last year. Later in July, he will once again compete at the Spanish National Championships with his sites set on earning a berth in the European Championships in early August.
All-Time UC Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-Americans
MEN (11)
2018 - Adrian Valles - Second Team (TF/XC)
2017 - Adrian Valles - First Team (TF/XC)
2016 - Adrian Valles - Second Team (TF/XC)
2015 - Brian Barney - Second Team (TF/XC)
2013 - Matt Bova - Second Team (TF/XC)
2012 - Eric Finan - First Team (TF/XC)
2009 - Randy King - Third Team (TF/XC)
1998 - Mike Seymour - Third Team (At-Large)
1997 - Scott Keane - First Team (At-Large)
1996 - Scott Keane - First Team (At-Large)
1995 - Scott Keane - Second Team (At-Large)
WOMEN (2)
2017 - Juliana Madzia - First Team (TF/XC)
2013 - Mackenzie Fields - Second Team (TF/XC)
Congratulations to @AdrianValles95 for being named to the @CoSIDAAcadAA Second Team! This is Adrian's third #AcademicAllAmerica honor in his career, tying him for the most in #Bearcats history!
— Cincinnati TF & XC (@GoBearcatsTFXC) June 21, 2018
📰: https://t.co/Z0NoEGa04v pic.twitter.com/DxAqm6neOM
// HISTORIC SELECTION
With his selection, Valles now joins Scott Keane as the most decorated student-athlete in UC history as the former thrower on the Bearcats track & field roster was also a three-time honoree, earning Academic All-America awards through the At-Large Selections (track & field/cross country later became it's own category). Keane was a second-team selection in 1995 before earning first-team accolades in both 1996 and 1997. He also was selected as the Academic All-American of the Year in 1997.
All told, Valles' 2017-18 honor is the 44th in the history of UC Athletics and the 13th for track & field/cross country competitors. His selection also give the track & field program at least one Academic All-American for the fourth year in a row. Now tied with Keane for the most awards in UC history, the duo are just two of the five Bearcats that were honored multiple times, including Mike Shingleton (at-large/men's soccer) in 1994 (2nd team) and 1995 (2nd team); Becky Ruehl (at-large/volleyball) in 1997 (1st team) and 2000 (1st team); and Julie DuPont (volleyball) in 2003 (2nd team) and 2004 (1st team).
// MORE ACADEMICS
Valles once again made an impressive haul in academic awards during the 2017-18 year. In March, at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Valles was named the NCAA Elite 90 Award winner for the second year in a row as the competitor at the final site with the highest cumulative grade-point average. That was followed by the American Athletic Conference naming him the 2017-18 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year for indoor track & field, as well as the overall AAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Those accolades were followed recently by his selection to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 5 First Team.
// STILL VAULTING
A six-time USTFCCCA All-American and seven-time AAC Champion, Valles was unable to compete much of the outdoor season because of an injury, but, has recently returned to the runway and is set to resume competition this week in his native Spain. A two-time IAAF World Championships competitor, Valles will vault in the Meeting of Madrid Friday (June 22) before heading to the Landau Meeting (Germany) in July, returning to the meet in which he cleared a PR 5.70m last year. Later in July, he will once again compete at the Spanish National Championships with his sites set on earning a berth in the European Championships in early August.
All-Time UC Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-Americans
MEN (11)
2018 - Adrian Valles - Second Team (TF/XC)
2017 - Adrian Valles - First Team (TF/XC)
2016 - Adrian Valles - Second Team (TF/XC)
2015 - Brian Barney - Second Team (TF/XC)
2013 - Matt Bova - Second Team (TF/XC)
2012 - Eric Finan - First Team (TF/XC)
2009 - Randy King - Third Team (TF/XC)
1998 - Mike Seymour - Third Team (At-Large)
1997 - Scott Keane - First Team (At-Large)
1996 - Scott Keane - First Team (At-Large)
1995 - Scott Keane - Second Team (At-Large)
WOMEN (2)
2017 - Juliana Madzia - First Team (TF/XC)
2013 - Mackenzie Fields - Second Team (TF/XC)