Austintown, Ohio - May 20, 2010 – Senior Jake Lemon (Oak Harbor, Ohio / Oak Harbor) and sophomore Jordan Karnes (Edgerton, Ohio / Edgerton) of the Heidelberg University men’s cross country and track and field teams have earned a spot on the Academic Ohio Athletic Conference First Team. It is the first Academic All-OAC honor of their career.
The award winners are selected by the OAC faculty athletic representatives. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.25 grade point average, be a starter or key reserve and be in at least his second year of participation in the sport.
This marks their second Academic award. After completion of the cross country season, Lemon and Karnes earned a spot on the USTFCCCA All-Academic team.
Lemon has studied history and carried a cumulative gpa of 3.75, while Karnes is a accounting major and has earned a perfect 4.00 grade point average.
Karnes and Lemon were important members of Heidelberg's men’s cross country team that was nationally ranked throughout the 2009 season, including a 12th place ranking in the preseason national poll.
A week after a first-place finish at Pre-Regional, Heidelberg ran away with the 2009 OAC Championship. Paced by seven All-OAC honorees, Heidelberg won the program's fourth title. Its victory joined its titles from 1998, 1999 and 2000.
The Berg also earned an automatic bid to nationals after finishing strong at NCAA Great Lakes Regional with a second-place finish. The trip to the NCAA Championship was the program’s seventh appearance overall, fourth-straight (1997, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), where it placed 18th overall.
They also have played a pivotal role in Heidelberg’s outdoor track team’s success where it most recently won its third title in program’s history. Karnes and Lemon took the second and third, respectively in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.