Wheaton College (Ill.) Student Leif Van Grinsven named to CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 Track/Cross Country Team

2017 Jun 6

Wheaton College student Leif Van Grinsven of Franklin, Wisconsin, was recently named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 7 Men's Track/Cross Country Team for 2017.

Van Grinsven, a sophomore at Wheaton, is an Interdisciplinary Studies major with a 3.96 cumulative grade point average. The 2017 CCIW Champion in the decathlon with 6,435 points at the conference championships, Van Grinsven finished first in six of the 10 decathlon events. He qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in the heptathlon this season and also qualified for the Division III Outdoor Championships in the decathlon. He is a two-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Midwest Region selection in the decathlon.

The Academic All-District Team is a part of the CoSIDA All-America program that honors student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level in athletics and in the classroom. Members of the eight First Team Academic All-District squads in each Division advance to the national ballot, where they have the opportunity to be selected for the Academic All-America Team. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA; a 2,000-plus member organization consisted of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Through the years, Wheaton student-athletes have earned a total of 85 Academic All-American selections in the prestigious program. Since 2000, there have been 60 Academic All-American selections from Wheaton.

Wheaton College sponsors 21 varsity sports, and Thunder teams compete at the NCAA Division III level. The Thunder Athletics program has won five NCAA Division III Championships since 1984, and Wheaton student-athletes have won 31 Division III individual National Championships all-time. For more information, visit athletics.wheaton.edu.

Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.) is a coeducational Christian liberal arts college noted for its rigorous academics, integration of faith and learning, and consistent ranking among the top liberal arts colleges in the country. For more information, visit wheaton.edu.