Two Lions on Academic All-District teams for track/cross country

Missouri Southern State University women’s track & field student-athletes Iashia Castle (Kansas City, Mo.) and Sarah Wallace (Branson, Mo.) have been named to the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District VII Team.

Castle and Wallace, both first-time members of the squad, were picked for second-team accolades.

Castle, a 5-foot-5 junior, was a six-time All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) honoree in 2005. She was MIAA outdoor runner-up in the triple jump and also earned all-conference honors outdoors in the 400-meter dash (fourth place) and long jump (third). Indoors, Castle was All-MIAA in the 400-meter dash (third place), triple jump (third place) and long jump (sixth).

In the classroom, Castle maintains a 3.949 GPA as an accounting major. She’s a two-time MIAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll member and a two-time Academic All-MIAA performer.

Wallace, a 5-foot-6 sophomore, also earned all-conference honors in both the indoor and outdoor seasons with the Lions in 2005. Indoors, Wallace finished fifth at the MIAA meet in the 600-yard run. Outdoors, she was fifth in the 800-meter dash, collecting her second career outdoor all-league honor in the 800. Wallace also competed in cross country with MSSU in 2004, her first season at the collegiate level.

Wallace maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA as a math secondary education/Spanish major. She’s a two-time Academic All-MIAA honoree and will be named an MIAA Presidential Scholar for the second year.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District and All-America teams are selected by 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 13, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Two Lions on Academic All-District Teams for track & field/cross country Missouri Southern State University women’s track & field student-athletes Iashia Castle (Kansas City, Mo.) and Sarah Wallace (Branson, Mo.) have been named to the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District VII Team. Castle and Wallace, both first-time members of the squad, were picked for second-team accolades. Castle, a 5-foot-5 junior, was a six-time All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) honoree in 2005. She was MIAA outdoor runner-up in the triple jump and also earned all-conference honors outdoors in the 400-meter dash (fourth place) and long jump (third). Indoors, Castle was All-MIAA in the 400-meter dash (third place), triple jump (third place) and long jump (sixth). In the classroom, Castle maintains a 3.949 GPA as an accounting major. She’s a two-time MIAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll member and a two-time Academic All-MIAA performer. Wallace, a 5-foot-6 sophomore, also earned all-conference honors in both the indoor and outdoor seasons with the Lions in 2005. Indoors, Wallace finished fifth at the MIAA meet in the 600-yard run. Outdoors, she was fifth in the 800-meter dash, collecting her second career outdoor all-league honor in the 800. Wallace also competed in cross country with MSSU in 2004, her first season at the collegiate level. Wallace maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA as a math secondary education/Spanish major. She’s a two-time Academic All-MIAA honoree and will be named an MIAA Presidential Scholar for the second year. The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District and All-America teams are selected by 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.