Slippery Rock University distance standout Jenn Harpp (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) has been named to second team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America track and field and cross country honors, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Harpp, a junior from Highland Heights, Ohio, earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team honors two weeks ago, earning the right to advance to the national ballot.
In order to be eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must carry above a 3.30 cumulative GPA and have significant athletic credentials.
Harpp is one of only four female student-athletes from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference to earn Academic All-America honors in the sports of cross country and track and field. Shippensburg’s Mary Dell earned first team honors, while Millersville’s Priscilla Jennings and Clarion’s Erin Richard were each selected to third team plaudits.
Harpp put together an outstanding athletic performance throughout the year and maintained a 3.92 cumulative GPA in the exercise science and physical therapy program.
The highlight of the season for Harpp came at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships, where she earned All-America honors with a second-place finish in the 5,000-meter run.
During the indoor season, Harpp shattered SRU records in the 3,000m and 5,000m and was a member of both the record-setting 4x800m and distance medley relay teams.
She earned All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference honors during the fall cross country season with a second-place finish at the league championships and then earned All-Region honors with a ninth-place showing at the Regional Championships.
Harpp closed her year by shattering the SRU record in the 10,000-meter run outdoors, posting the fifth-fastest time in the nation. She also posted one of the top-six marks in the 5,000m and advanced to the National Championships for the third time during the 2008-09 academic year.
Courtesy: Slippery Rock University
