Blood Named Academic All-America
EUGENE, Ore. ? Nicole Blood was already in some elite company.
That group became even exclusive on Wednesday when she was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country third team. The sophomore from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., became just the fourth Duck in program history to earn All-America status for both her performance in the classroom and on the field in the same season.
Blood, who holds a 3.59 grade point average in journalism, was a two-time All-American in cross country and track & field. She finished third in the 5,000 meters at the outdoor NCAA Championships earlier this month in Des Moines, Iowa. She was also the Pac-10 champion and NCAA West Regional runner-up in the event. Her career-best time of 15:43.82 ranks fourth all-time at the Oregon. Blood will compete in the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials this week at Historic Hayward Field.
Blood also earned All-America status for her eighth-place finish at the NCAA cross country meet last November in Terre Haute, Ind. She ran second a the NCAA West Regional and fourth at the Pac-10 championships.
Blood becomes the first women’s track & field competitor in 14 years to be recognized as an All-American on the field and in the classroom. The last Duck woman to accomplish that feat was Kelly Blair, currently a UO assistant coach, in 1993 and 1994. The other two Oregon women to earn double All-America honors are Penny Graves (1988) and Kathy Hayes (1983-84-85).
Blood was selected from over 300 nominations nationwide by voters from the College Sports Information Director’s of America (CoSIDA). The last Duck to earn Academic All-America honors was Kirsten Riley, a third team selection in 2004.
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