Alahaivala named to Academic All-America® squad

June 21, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Senior picked for ESPN The Magazine second-team honor

Missouri Southern State University senior Mika Alahaivala (Ylivieska, Finland) was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® men’s track & field squad announced today.

Alahaivala, who graduated with a 3.669 grade-point average as an international business major, was a second-team selection on the Men’s College Division squad.

This year, Alahaivala finished as national runner-up in the javelin for the second time in his four-year MSSU career. A three-time All-American and a four-time national qualifier in the event, Alahaivala had a throw of 223 feet, 3 inches at last month’s NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He finished second only to Cal State Chico’s Jon Rozborski. Alahaivala was also national runner-up in 2003.

Also this year, Alahaivala won his second career Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) individual title in the javelin. He captured first place at the MIAA Outdoor Championships with a school- and MIAA-record throw of 229-10.

Alahaivala was a finalist for MSSU’s Male Athlete of the Year award and the institution’s E.O. & Virginia Humphrey Award, honoring Missouri Southern’s student-athlete of the year. Alahaivala, also Southern’s male nominee for the conference’s Ken B. Jones Award, was the 2005 MSSU International Business Graduate of the Year.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District and All-America teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.20 on a scale of 4.0, must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, II and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine, winner of the 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence, is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.85 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.


	June 21, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Alahaivala named to Academic All-America® squad Senior picked for ESPN The Magazine second-team honor Missouri Southern State University senior Mika Alahaivala (Ylivieska, Finland) was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® men’s track & field squad announced today. Alahaivala, who graduated with a 3.669 grade-point average as an international business major, was a second-team selection on the Men’s College Division squad. This year, Alahaivala finished as national runner-up in the javelin for the second time in his four-year MSSU career. A three-time All-American and a four-time national qualifier in the event, Alahaivala had a throw of 223 feet, 3 inches at last month’s NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He finished second only to Cal State Chico’s Jon Rozborski. Alahaivala was also national runner-up in 2003. Also this year, Alahaivala won his second career Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) individual title in the javelin. He captured first place at the MIAA Outdoor Championships with a school- and MIAA-record throw of 229-10. Alahaivala was a finalist for MSSU’s Male Athlete of the Year award and the institution’s E.O. & Virginia Humphrey Award, honoring Missouri Southern’s student-athlete of the year. Alahaivala, also Southern’s male nominee for the conference’s Ken B. Jones Award, was the 2005 MSSU International Business Graduate of the Year. The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District and All-America teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.20 on a scale of 4.0, must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, II and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports. ESPN The Magazine, winner of the 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence, is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.85 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.