June 25, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - Army rising senior Kevin Kumlien and 2008 Bucknell graduate David Mante have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-America team, as selected and released by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Kumlien received second-team recognition, while Mante was a third-team selection.
With all of the Academic All-America teams now released, the Patriot League finishes the 2007-08 campaign with a total of 14 honorees on the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA lists. Included in that total were five first-team selections.
The Academic All-American honor caps an impressive list of academic and athletic accomplishments for Kumlien during his junior campaign. He was named the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's track and field in May after carrying a 3.78 cumulative grade-point average as a Management major, and later received First-Team Academic All-District I honors.
A native of Bozeman, Mont., Kumlien was the top collegiate finisher in the javelin in every meet he entered this season. He won the USF Bulls Invitational, the Dick Shea Invite and the Army-Navy meet while posting IC4A qualifying throws in each event. Kumlien suffered a season-ending injury just before the Patriot League meet, halting what had been a standout season.
A three-time Patriot League champion in the pole vault, Mante won indoor titles in both 2007 and 2008, while claiming first outdoors in 2007 and finishing as the runner-up at the Patriot League Championship meet in 2008. Mante qualified for the IC4A Championships four times, twice indoors and twice outdoors, while also making the cut for the NCAA Regional in 2007. He garnered four career All-Patriot League selections and an All-East accolade in 2007, as well. Mante completed a highly successful collegiate career as a pole vaulter for the Bison, graduating with the No. 2 marks for the event both indoors (16-3 1/4) and outdoors (16-2) on Bucknell's all-time lists.
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The civil engineering major also excelled in the classroom as he appeared on the Dean's List in seven of eight semesters and graduated with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.71. The 2007 Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Mante was a two-time Academic All-District II first team honoree and was named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team at the conclusion of his junior year in 2007.
To be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 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. First-team honorees from the Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-District teams were on the ballot for All-America honors.
