WASHINGTON --- Tusculum College's Jenny Grant has been named to the 2012-13 Capital One Division II Academic All-District 3 Women's Cross Country/Track & Field first team as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Grant becomes the first two-time Academic All-District selection in program history.

Grant, a Franklin, Tenn. product on the Pioneer cross country team, posted a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average while majoring in psychology and graduated with honors from Tusculum earlier this month.

Grant advances to the Academic All-America® ballot, which will be announced next month. She was selected to the Capital One Academic All-America® third team last season.

Grant proved to be Tusculum's most consistent competitors on the Tusculum team in 2012. In her eight races, she recorded three top-20 performances, including her sixth-place showing at the Warren Wilson Invitational, where she posted a 5,000-meter time of 24:11.13. She bettered that time by almost two minutes her next meet as she finished 19th at The Citadel Bulldog Invitational. Grant also finished 11th at the Maryville Invitational and 43rd at the South Atlantic Conference championship, which was held on the Tusculum campus.

She was named the 2012 SAC Women's Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year and is TC's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

She is a member SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Olive Gray Honors List, Tusculum President's List and Alpha Chi Honor Society. She is a three-time recipient of the Tusculum Student-Athlete Academic Award, which honors the TC student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average.

In the classroom, she was involved in research with the Psychology Department and presented her findings at the 2012 Southeastern Psychology Association (SEPA) National Conference.

In the community, Grant served as a peer tutor and was a member of the President's Society where she served as a student ambassador, provided campus tours to prospective students and represented students at Presidential board meetings. She also served as president of the Resident Hall Association and was a member of the TC Track & Field Club.

Other community service activities includes: Voices Against Violence, Psychology Club, International & Multicultural Club, Plaza Towers Retirement Home volunteer, New Hope Cemetery volunteer and the Southeastern Guide Dogs Association, where she has assisted with the raising of a guide dog for those in need.

Within the athletic department, she served as vice president of the Pioneer Student Athlete Advisory Council (PSAAC) and was also on the Tusculum Student Government Judicial Board.

Members of the Capital One Academic All-District 3 Team are selected by CoSIDA, which includes all colleges and universities in the South Atlantic Conference, Conference Carolinas and Peach Belt Conference.

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 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. 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, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

The Capital One Division II and III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2012‐13 DII and DIII Academic All-America® teams program.

- CoSIDA -

2012-13 Capital One Division II Academic All-District 3 Women's Cross Country/Track & Field First Team
Jenny Altieri, Limestone
Jessie Baldwin, Newberry
Jenny Grant, Tusculum
Livia Mahaffie, UNC Pembroke
In-Mi Matsunaga, Montevallo
Mollie McGowan, Georgia Southwestern
Olivia Myers, Catawba
Hannah, Rohrer, Newberry
Ashton Sellers, Limestone
Hannah Witt, King
Keeley Wood, Wingate