SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University women's track and field standouts
Jen Hansen and
Jen Harpp were named to first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 honors Thursday in a release by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
In order to be eligible for Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA and have significant athletic credentials. All first team members of the All-District teams advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.
Hansen, who is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, capped her collegiate career with a perfect 4.0 grade point average in both undergraduate and graduate course work.
Hansen's athletic credentials were equally impressive. She capped her collegiate career this season by winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title in the pole vault at both the indoor and outdoor league meets. She followed each of those performances by earning All-America honors with third-place finishes at each of the National Championships.
Hansen leaves SRU as a six-time All-American and the owner of both the indoor and outdoor school records in the pole vault. She also owns the PSAC overall and championship records in the event for both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Harpp, who earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors last year, posted a 3.93 undergraduate GPA and a 4.0 graduate GPA through two semesters as she enters the second phase of the 3+3 program for the doctorate of physical therapy.
Harpp's year began in the fall when she earned All-PSAC, All-Region and All-America honors during the cross country season. At the National Championships, she placed 11th, becoming the highest-finishing female runner in SRU history.
A hamstring injury limited her during the indoor season, but she returned for the outdoor season to have some of the best performances of her career. She won the PSAC title in the 10,000-meter run with a dominating performance of 34:16.89, lapping the entire field but one runner. That time was the third-fastest time in the nation this season and broke her own school record. She followed that up by earning All-America honors with a sixth-place finish at the national meet.
The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District teams are voted on by CoSIDA. District 2 includes all Division II and Division III institutions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia. Voting for the Academic All-America teams will begin next week, with the announcement coming the following week.