LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Shippensburg women's cross country junior Mary Dell was recognized on Thursday morning with a PSAC Fall Top 10 Award, marking the third different season of competition and the third time overall that she has been recognized by the league for her outstanding academic achievements and illustrious athletic prowess.

On Thursday, Dell was christened as one of five female award winners along with West Chester's Jessica Bennett (soccer), East Stroudsburg's Lindsey Foder (soccer), Mercyhurst's Taylor Hilinski (soccer) and Slippery Rock's Jen Harpp (cross country). All five of the award winners boast a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.93 or higher, including three with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Dell boasts a 3.97 grade-point average and finished among the top three competitors in four of her six races this season. She earned national All-American status for the sixth consecutive NCAA season dating back to the winter of 2008 with a 21st-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, an improvement of 62 seconds and 12 places from her performance on the snow-packed national course in 2008 at Slippery Rock.

It was the second straight year that she has earned national All-America honors for the women's cross country program, which concluded its 2009 season with a 15th-place finish at the national championships.

Dell has continued to progress as one of the best runners in Division II and ran toe-to-toe with the best athletes in the nation. She earned All-PSAC honors and All-Region honors for the second consecutive year with third-place overall finishes and was a Top 25 finisher at the Brooks Paul Short Run, an event that features a score of Division I runners.

Dell earned a PSAC Spring Top 10 award over the summer. In April of 2009, she received a PSAC Winter Top 10 award and was also named the Shippensburg University Women's Student-Athlete of the Year. She was a 2008-09 CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American for track and field and has earned multiple selections to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team.

Her cross country running has resulted in three All-PSAC awards, two All-Region certificates and two All-American awards. Dell is also a recipient of the university's Helen B. Kraiss Award and is currently a member of the honors program and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus.

For each of the three athletic seasons, each PSAC member institution nominates two male and two female representatives based on their academic success as well as their athletic success for their particular sport. After voting is conducted by the league's sports information directors, a total of five male and female winners are selected. The fall season includes the sports of football, volleyball, cross country, soccer and field hockey.

The PSAC Top 10 Awards are in their 13th season of existence, having been initiated in the 1997-98 academic year. To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.5 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective team.

All Top 10 Award winners from the entire academic year are eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, given to one male and one female candidate at the end of the academic year.