XU's Pieri, Mead selected CoSIDA Academic All-America

Javon Mead

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Matt Pieri and Javon Mead have been chosen to the Capital One Academic All-America® college division men's track and field/cross country team. Pieri was a second-team selection, and Mead made the third team.

Pieri and Mead are the second and third from Xavier to be chosen to an Academic All-America squad. Distance runner Joe Drexler-Dreis made the second team in men's track and field/cross country in 2009.

The College Sports Information Directors of America has sponsored the Academic All-America program since 1952. CoSIDA announced the team Monday.

"Matt and Javon are outstanding representatives of Xavier, the athletics department and our cross country program," XU coach Joseph Moses said. "They take care of their business in the classroom, in workouts and in competition. They're always focused on improvement and doing the right thing."

Matt Pieri

Pieri, a junior from New Orleans and a graduate of Brother Martin High School, is a pharmacy major at Xavier with a 3.79 grade-point average. Pieri is a three-time All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference runner and was the league's 2010 individual champion. He was a 2011 Daktronics Scholar-Athlete and was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. Pieri has won a GCAC career-record 10 Runner of the Week awards, four this past season. He has 13 top-10 finishes and nine top-5s in three seasons.

At the Gulf Coast Stampede in Pensacola, Fla., on Oct. 1, Pieri ran 8,000 meters (4.97 miles) in 26 minutes, 51.1 seconds. That was Xavier's best time at that distance since Farris Gransberry set the school record of 25:54 in 1998.

Mead, a sophomore from Baton Rouge, La., and a graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High School, is an accounting major with a 3.66 GPA. Mead is a two-time All-GCAC cross country runner who finished third in the conference meet in 2010 and fifth in 2011. He has four top-10 finishes and two top-5s in two years.

Academic All-Americans are starters or important reserves with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale. They also must have completed at least one full calendar year at their current institution and reached sophomore athletic eligibility. Pieri and Mead were announced May 31 as Academic All-District 4, which automatically advanced them for national consideration.

Xavier is a six-time defending GCAC team champion in men's and women's cross country. Both squads qualified for the NAIA National Championships three of the past four seasons, including 2011. The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will begin the 2012 season Aug. 31 in the Mississippi College Opener at Clinton, Mississippi.

2011-12 Capital One Academic All-America
Men's Track and Field/Cross Country

College Division First Team
Name School Yr. Hometown GPA and Major
Brayden Barrientez Oklahoma Christian Jr. Haysville, Kan. 3.96 Religious Edu./Children's Ministry
Hildon Boen Wayland Baptist Jr. Eldoret, Kenya 3.40 Business Adm., Accounting
Isaac Bryan Taylor Gr. Perkasie, Pa. 3.82 Higher Edu.&Student Devmt.
Andy Coy Dakota State Jr. Hill City, S.D. 3.96 Biology
Luke Fischer Northwest (Wash.) Sr. Kalispell, Mont. 3.75 Business
Jacob GunderKline Goshen Jr. Yellow Springs, Ohio 3.71 Interdisciplinary Studies
Bryson Harper Bryan Sr. Pikeville, Tenn. 3.90 Exercise and Health Science

John Harris Morningside Jr. Holstein, Iowa 4.00 Engineering Physics, Mathematics

Bo Johnson Concordia (Ore.) Jr. Toledo, Ore. 3.79 Exercise & Sport Sciences

Monte Larsen Morningside Sr. Neola, Iowa 3.98 Elementary Education

Tracy Marshall Oklahoma Christian Jr. Hutchinson, Kan. 3.96 Electrical Engineering

Micah Marvin Doane Sr. Crete, Neb. 3.96 Mathematics and Physics

David McWilliams Oklahoma Christian Jr. Naperville, Ill. 4.00 Youth Ministry
Tim Wyland Concordia (Ore.) Sr. Umatilla, Ore. 3.47 Exercise & Sport Sciences
Eric Whalen Concordia (Ore.) Sr. Tualatin, Ore. 3.37 Exercise & Sport Sciences

College Division Second Team

Name School Yr. Hometown GPA and Major

Brian Aukshunas Biola Sr. Orange, Calif. 4.00 Business Administration

Cordell Baker Oklahoma Baptist Jr. Sapulpa, Okla. 3.89 Biology

Brad Higgins Doane Jr. Norfolk, Neb. 3.61 Mathematics, Physics

Matt Huseman Northwestern (Iowa) Jr. Sac City, Iowa 3.34 Elem. Education

Matthew Hussey Roberts Wesleyan Gr. Marion, N.Y. 3.93 Teacher Education

Zachary Kraus Embry-Riddle (Fla.) So. New Milford, Conn. 3.85 Aerospace Engineering

Vincent Krejci Doane Jr. Crete, Neb. 3.74 Biochemistry
Randy Magnuson Taylor Sr. Aurora, Ill. 3.79 English Education
Lucas Manring Central Methodist Sr. Stockton, Mo. 3.56 Accounting
Greg Montgomery College of Idaho Jr. Boise, Idaho 3.48 Biology
Matt Pieri Xavier Jr. New Orleans, La. 3.79 Pharmacy
Austin Simikns Oklahoma Christian So. Fayetteville, Ark. 3.87 Accounting
Randy Sterk Grace Sr. McBain, Mich. 3.68 Biology
Nate Teten Doane Sr. Auburn, Neb. 3.59 Business Administration
Nate Winters Mount Vernon Nazarene Sr. Hilliard, Ohio 3.58 Chemistry (Pre-Medicine)


College Division Third Team
Name School Yr. Hometown GPA and Major
Gabe Aeschliman Biola Sr. Colfax, Wash. 3.79 Business Administration
Austin Basterrechea College of Idaho So. Gooding, Idaho 3.74 Undecided
Neal Ellis Oklahoma Baptist Jr. Midlothian, Texas 3.93 Applied Communication
Mike Huseman Morningside Jr. Alta, Iowa 3.52 Management Information Systems
Samuel Jones Goshen Jr. Timber Lake, S.D. 3.61 Theater
Anthony Lee Mount Vernon Nazarene Jr. Lisbon, Ohio 3.84 Sports Management
Jason McLeod Bryan Jr. Ocoee, Fla. 3.81 Exercise&Health Science, Business Adm.
Javon Mead Xavier So. Baton Rouge, La. 3.66 Accounting

David Parry McPherson Sr. Morganville, Kan. 3.90 Automotive Restoration

Jon Schoening Clarke Jr. Glenwood, Iowa 3.89 Biochemistry

Ryan Sherman Central Methodist Jr. Fayette, Mo. 3.60 Business
Peter Stacy Biola So. Issaquah, Wash. 3.69 Biology, Chemistry
Anthony Stasiak Park So. Liberty, Mo. 3.46 Chemistry

Alex Stephens Bryan Jr. Cleveland, Tenn. 3.79 Communication

Collin Whitsett Southern Nazarene Sr. Tulsa, Okla. 3.94 Biology

Monte Willett Embry-Riddle (Fla.) Sr. Grapevine, Texas 3.78 Aerospace Engineering

More on this Academic All-America team

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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