Thursday, June 3, 2010

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Three Westminster College athletes earned recognition on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Track & Field/Cross Country Teams selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Senior cross country and track and field athlete Jeremiah Patterson (Jefferson, Ohio/Jefferson) earned a spot on the men's first team for the Academic All-District II College Division, while senior Abbey Basta (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock) and sophomore Emily Dolsak (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald) of the women's track and field team were named to the women's second team.

Patterson is a broadcast communications major whose 3.91 grade-point average was the highest of all Westminster senior varsity athletes in 2009-10. He was the captain of the cross country team, a distance runner on the track and field team and a three-year letterman on both squads. Patterson earned second-team all-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) honors in cross country all three years on the team, including an eighth-place 8-kilometer time (28:38) at the 2009 PAC meet. Patterson also served as an associate trustee on Westminster's Board of Trustees as a student representative.

Basta is an English major with a 3.79 grade-point average. The team captain and four-year letter-winner who helped lead Westminster to its third straight PAC team title in 2010, Basta anchored both of Westminster's PAC champion relay teams, the 4x100 (49.87) and the 4x400 (4:04.59). She was also the PAC champion in the 400-meter hurdles (1:06.18).

Dolsak is an exploratory major with a 3.94 grade-point average. In addition to helping the Titans win their third straight league title, Dolsak successfully defended her PAC discus title with a throw of 40.57 meters. Dolsak nearly qualified for nationals as her school-record discus throw of 43.15 set later in the season was an NCAA Division III provisional qualifying distance that missed the final cut by 12 inches.

The District II College Division consists of all non-NCAA Division I college and universities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. To be nominated for the program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.3 or higher cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or significant reserve.

As a first-team selection, Patterson's name will now appear on the Academic All-America ballot. The Academic All-America team will be released June 22.

About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges. Westminster ranked third among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 371 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.