Jensen Is Academic All-American

MOORHEAD, Minn. (6/19/12)—Kaari Jensen was named to the Capital One Academic All-American Team it was announced on Tuesday. Jensen is a Communications major and carries a 3.83 grade point average. 

Jensen earned her Academic All-American award in the Women's Track/Cross Country classification and was one of only two athletes from the MIAC to earn the award. Brooke Beskau of Gustavus was the other conference Academic All-American.

Jensen becomes the 15th Concordia student/athlete to win Academic All-American honors in the past nine years and is the first Cobber athlete to earn the award for the 2011-12 academic/athletic year. Concordia has had at least one Academic All-American in every year since 2004. 

Jensen had an amazing junior season in track and field. She started the year by competing at the NCAA National Indoor track and Field Meet and finished it by earning All-American honors at the NCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Meet. Along the way she broke both the MIAC, and Concordia, record in the heptathlon and won the MIAC heptathlon and javelin competitions. She also posted top 10 finishes at the MIAC Meet in the 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump.

Besides her All-American honor, Jensen also earned the MIAC Most Outstanding Performance of the Meet award and was recently named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Central Region Field Athlete of the Year. Jensen also earned Capital One Academic All-District honors earlier in the month.    

Formerly known as the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American honor, Capital One took over the sponsorship of the CoSIDA Academic All-American award program last year. CoSIDA began this program in the 1950's, and since then, has honored thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports and across all divisions with these elite Capital One Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors. Currently, CoSIDA honors Academic All-Americans in 12 sports.

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.


Complete List of Capital One Academic All-Americans (pdf)


Past Cobber Academic All-American Honorees
1991 - Chris Reimertz - Football
1992 - Kristi Farver - Women's Track & Field
1992 - Kris Kuehl - Women's Track & Field
1996 - Renee Erickson - Women's Track & Field
1997 - Renee Erickson - Women's Track & Field
1998 - Bob Zacher - Football
1999 - Micah Benson - Men's Track & Field
1999 - Laura Utke - Women's Track & Field
2000 - Micah Benson - Men's Track & Field
2004 - Jordan Talge - Football
2004 - Jessica Walden - Women's Volleyball
2005 - Angie Pfeiffer - Women's Track and Field
2006 - Annie Cullen - Women's Swimming and Diving
2006 - Natalie Hanson - Women's Track & Field
2006 - Angie Pfeiffer - Women's Track & Field
2007 - Grant Weller - Football
2008 - Melanie Hageman - Women's Basketball
2008 - Justin Foss - Men's Soccer
2008 - Levi DeVries - Football
2009 - Sam Johnson - Women's Soccer
2009 - Erika Swenson - Women's Soccer
2010 - Riley McGlynn - Men's Soccer
2011 - Erica Nord - Women's Basketball
2012 - Kaari Jensen - Women's Track and Field