LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's and women's track & field teams placed four of its student-athletes on the ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District VIII squads on Friday. Dan Noel and Todd Bettisworth earned the prestigious accolade on the men's side while Madeleine Flint and Jillian Sola garnered the honor on the women's side.
The quartet will now move on to the next ballot for a vote to determine the Academic All-America squads as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Noel was an All-CCAA selection for the Tritons this year, competing in the 400 meter hurdles and on the 4x400 relay team. The senior from Petaluma, Calif., is scheduled to graduate this year and currently holds a 3.84 cumulative GPA in Political Science & Literature.
Bettisworth, a junior from Oak Park, Calif., competed in the sprint events for the Tritons in 2007, including the 4x100 relay event. An Economics major, Bettisworth currently possesses a 3.96 cumulative GPA, the third-highest GPA on the 10 member All-Academic squad.
Flint, the school's all-time record holder in the pole vault, helped the Tritons to their third-straight CCAA title in 2007 while maintaining a 3.94 cumulative GPA. She is on schedule to graduate in June with her degree in Structural Engineering.
Sola earned All-CCAA honors and competed at the NCAA National Championships for the second time in as many years. The sophomore from Arroyo Grande, Calif., currently holds a 3.85 cumulative GPA while majoring in Human Biology. She has the fourth best mark in school history in the shot put and the fifth best overall mark in the discus.
