Three Sun Devils earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America

June 30, 2009

<a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/stevens_sarah00.html">S… Stevens</a>, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/lewis_jason00.html">Jas… Lewis</a> and <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/whiting_ryan00.html">Ry… Whiting</a>, all members of the Arizona State University track and field program, have been selected as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced recently. Stevens earned a place on the women's first team while both men were selected to the second team in a vote of the nation's sports information directors.<separator></separator>Stevens' honor is the second of her career after she was selected to the second team last year. It also makes her only the second woman in program history to be honored multiple times after Lisa Galaviz (formerly Aguilera) was a four-time honoree. Stevens' selection gives ASU one first-time recipient in each of the past two seasons (<a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/kubishta_april00.html">… Kubishta</a>, 2008) while also making her the fourth different first team honoree in the program's history (Kubishta in 2008, Aguilera in 2001 and Gea Johnson in 1990).<separator></separator>For the men, Whiting also is a multiple-time honoree as he was selected to the second team for the second year in a row while Lewis garnered his first national award from CoSIDA. With both men earning honors, it marks the first time in the program's history that multiple Sun Devils have been honored in the same year while also doubling the total number of honorees the men have had in its history. Prior to this season, only Whiting (2008) and <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/jensen_garrett00.html">… Jensen</a> (2001 first team in cross country) had been honored by CoSIDA.<separator></separator> All three Sun Devils had stellar athletic seasons in 2009, including three national titles and 12 All-America honors between them. Stevens capped her career with 15 All-America honors, the most of any Sun Devil, after earning five awards as a senior. She placed second in the indoor and outdoor shot put at the NCAA Championships and also was second in the discus outdoors. She added a third-place finish in the hammer outdoors and fourth-place showing in the indoor weight throw to bring her career total to 98 points scored at the NCAA Championships. The 2009 MPSF Female and 2009 Pac-10 Women's Field Athlete of the year, Stevens won the shot put and weight throw at the MPSF meet before taking the shot put and discus at both the Pac-10 and NCAA West Region meets.<separator></separator>Whiting was a multiple national champion in 2009 as he swept shot put at the indoor and outdoor national meets to become just the 12th man in NCAA history to win both in the same year and accomplishing the feat for only the 18th time in the 45 years the NCAA has held both meets. An All-American in the discus outdoor after taking second by one inch, Whiting won the shot put at the Pac-10 and NCAA West Region meets after breaking the school records in the outdoor shot put and discus during the season.<separator></separator>Lewis also was a national champion as he threw over 75 feet to claim the indoor weight throw for his first crown. The only man in the nation to qualify and compete in the shot put, discus and hammer at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Lewis earned All-America honors in the discus and the hammer by placing sixth in both to help the men's team to its second Top 10 finish of the season (eighth outdoors after fifth indoors). He also earned All-America honors indoors as he added a fourth-place finish in the shot put to give him four awards on the season.<separator></separator> 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans Women <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/stevens_sarah00.html">S… Stevens</a> - First Team<separator></separator>Men <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/lewis_jason00.html">Jas… Lewis</a> - Second Team <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/c-track/mtt/whiting_ryan00.html">Ry… Whiting</a> - Second Team