Photo by: Tom Lynn
McDonald named CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year
June 26, 2019 | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field
Four-time NCAA champion wins prestigious academic honor
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin senior Morgan McDonald has earned his share of trophies for performances on the track and cross country course this year, winning four NCAA titles, three Big Ten Conference individual championships and three Big Ten Athlete of the Year awards.
But McDonald won one of the most prestigious academic honors on Thursday as he was named the Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for his achievements in athletics and in the classroom.
"Morgan is the full package," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "He's a great athlete, but he works extremely hard in the classroom. One of the reasons why he came to Wisconsin was because of our strong academic background and he has thrived in athletics and academics during his time in Madison.
"He is the true definition of a student-athlete."
McDonald was named to the Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team while teammate Olin Hacker was named a second-team selection. NCAA champion Alicia Monson was named a third-team honoree on the women's side.
McDonald, who graduated from Wisconsin with a 3.76 grade-point average while majoring in finance, investment and banking, is the third UW student-athlete to receive the honor. Nathan Brown was named the 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year for men's track and field while women's hockey standout Sara Bauer was named the CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year in 2006 and 2007 for at-large women's sports.
A native of Sydney, Australia, McDonald won four NCAA titles in 2018-19 – cross country, indoor 3000 meters, indoor 5000 meters and outdoor 5000 meters – to become only the third man in NCAA Division I history to claim those four championships in the same year.
He opened his historic season with a win at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, becoming the first male in more than 25 years to win a national title on his home course.
McDonald became the seventh runner to sweep the 3000 and 5000 meters at the NCAA indoor championships and then went on to cap his amazing year by claiming the 5000 meters at the NCAA outdoor championships.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2018 cross country season, McDonald is an eight-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and an eight-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection.
Hacker, a biology major with a 3.97 GPA, helped Wisconsin win its 49th Big Ten men's cross country championship and earned USTFCCCA Great Lakes All-Region honors after leading UW at the 2018 NCAA Great Lakes Regional. The Madison native went on to earn first-team All-America honors in the distance medley relay at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and also led the Badgers to a Big Ten title in the event.
A native of Amery, Monson holds a 3.86 GPA while majoring in nutritional sciences. She enjoyed a fantastic cross country season as she won a Big Ten title, an NCAA regional crown and finished fourth at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships. She went on to win the 5000 meters at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and was named the Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Year after winning both the 3000 and 5000 meters at the Big Ten meet. Monson also ran the third-fastest time in NCAA history in the 3000 meters at the 2019 Millrose Games.
But McDonald won one of the most prestigious academic honors on Thursday as he was named the Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for his achievements in athletics and in the classroom.
"Morgan is the full package," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "He's a great athlete, but he works extremely hard in the classroom. One of the reasons why he came to Wisconsin was because of our strong academic background and he has thrived in athletics and academics during his time in Madison.
"He is the true definition of a student-athlete."
McDonald was named to the Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team while teammate Olin Hacker was named a second-team selection. NCAA champion Alicia Monson was named a third-team honoree on the women's side.
McDonald, who graduated from Wisconsin with a 3.76 grade-point average while majoring in finance, investment and banking, is the third UW student-athlete to receive the honor. Nathan Brown was named the 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year for men's track and field while women's hockey standout Sara Bauer was named the CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year in 2006 and 2007 for at-large women's sports.
A native of Sydney, Australia, McDonald won four NCAA titles in 2018-19 – cross country, indoor 3000 meters, indoor 5000 meters and outdoor 5000 meters – to become only the third man in NCAA Division I history to claim those four championships in the same year.
He opened his historic season with a win at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, becoming the first male in more than 25 years to win a national title on his home course.
McDonald became the seventh runner to sweep the 3000 and 5000 meters at the NCAA indoor championships and then went on to cap his amazing year by claiming the 5000 meters at the NCAA outdoor championships.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2018 cross country season, McDonald is an eight-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and an eight-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection.
Hacker, a biology major with a 3.97 GPA, helped Wisconsin win its 49th Big Ten men's cross country championship and earned USTFCCCA Great Lakes All-Region honors after leading UW at the 2018 NCAA Great Lakes Regional. The Madison native went on to earn first-team All-America honors in the distance medley relay at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and also led the Badgers to a Big Ten title in the event.
A native of Amery, Monson holds a 3.86 GPA while majoring in nutritional sciences. She enjoyed a fantastic cross country season as she won a Big Ten title, an NCAA regional crown and finished fourth at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships. She went on to win the 5000 meters at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and was named the Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Year after winning both the 3000 and 5000 meters at the Big Ten meet. Monson also ran the third-fastest time in NCAA history in the 3000 meters at the 2019 Millrose Games.
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