SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Senior Mary Dell was selected to the 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District Women's Track & Field/Cross Country First Team for the College Division of District II, which encompasses all Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior colleges in the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Dell, a biology major certified for secondary education, graduated this May with a 3.97 grade-point average (GPA). She now advances to the national ballot and is seeking to become a two-time Academic All-American after last season becoming SU's first national award winner in three years.

At the 2010 Division II National Championships, Dell finished second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:20.37 that broke the previous meet record and established a new all-time mark in PSAC history. It extended her streak of consecutive championship seasons as an All-American to eight, a stretch that dates back to her seventh-place finish with the indoor DMR unit in 2008.

Dell completed her collegiate track and field career as a three-time outdoor All-American and a three-time indoor All-American. Dell was been an All-American in three different events on the outdoor national stage (4x400-meter relay, 1,500 meters, 3K steeplechase).

She was a three-time All-PSAC athlete in outdoor competition and won two conference titles, including a victory in the 3K steeplechase by a margin of 10 seconds. She contributed 28 points to a Shippensburg squad that recorded a meet-record 212.5 points and was an integral factor in the program becoming the first in the history of the PSAC to achieve a Triple Crown by winning the cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field championships in the same calendar year since the PSAC began sponsoring an indoor championship in 2002.

During the indoor season, Dell ran the opening leg on the distance medley relay squad that finished second at the 2010 Division II National Championships. She was also a four-time All-PSAC athlete, winning the DMR at the indoor conference championships and finishing as a runner-up in the 800, mile and 3K. Dell contributed 34 points to a Shippensburg squad that won its first-ever outright indoor conference championship.

In cross country, Dell was Shippensburg's lone All-American at the national championships with a 21st-place finish. Her 2009 performance was an improvement of 62 seconds and 12 places from her performance on the snow-packed national course in 2008 at Slippery Rock. SU concluded its 2009 season with a 15th-place finish at the national championships in addition to PSAC and Atlantic Region championships.

Dell, a three-time PSAC Top 10 award winner and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, is a 29-time PSAC placewinner, 24-time All-PSAC competitor and seven-time PSAC champion. She has helped set seven school records, three PSAC records and an NCAA meet record during her illustrious Lady Raider career.

Overall, Shippensburg had the most PSAC representatives on the district track and field/cross country teams with four. Five of the 10 first-team honorees and 10 of the 20 overall hail from a PSAC institution. For the 2009-10 athletic calendar, Shippensburg had the second-most overall Academic All-District selections in the PSAC with 12 while California (Pa.) led the conference with 16 honorees.

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) selects Academic All-America® teams in 12 programs. A first team and second team are selected in both the University (Division I and I-AA) and College (Division II, III and NAIA) Divisions.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Academic All-District Winners From the PSAC

First Team
Mary Dell, Shippensburg
Neely Spence, Shippensburg
Jen Harpp, Slippery Rock
Jen Hansen, Slippery Rock
Trina Carito, East Stroudsburg

Second Team
Erica Hess, Shippensburg
Abby Huber, Shippensburg
Janelle Smith, East Stroudsburg
Lynn Mayer, East Stroudsburg
Laurie Hall, California (Pa.)