ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Forbes and Hodgin Named to Academic All-District Team

ESPN The Magazine / CoSIDA Academic All-District Track & Field Teams

NEWBERG, Ore. - A pair of George Fox University seniors - decathlete Ryan Forbes and triple jumper Emily Hodgin - have been named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine /CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII College Division Track & Field Women’s and Men’s Teams as chosen by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Forbes, who is from Jackson, Wyo., received Academic All-District First Team honors for the first time with a grade point average of 3.503 while majoring in Business Administration.  He finished 11th in the decathlon at this spring's NCAA Division III Track & Field National Championships with 6,501 points, which is fifth on the Bruins’ all-time list. It was his fourth straight appearance at the nationals. As a freshman, he earned All-America honors in 2006 by finishing eighth with 6,317 points, then placed 10th in 2007 with 6,450 points, and 14th in 2008 with 5,680 points despite taking no score in the 400 meter dash.

A nine-time All-Northwest Conference performer, Forbes won the NWC championship in the decathlon in 2007 and finished third in each of the last two years.  He was an NWC champion with the 4x400 meter relay team in 2006, took seconds with the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays in 2008, and thirds in the 200 meter dash in both 2006 and 2008 and with the 4x100 meter relay team in 2006.  His older sisters Colleen, Amy, and Michelle were all College Division Academic All-Americans as chosen by CoSIDA while competing in track and field for the Bruins.

Hodgin, who hails from Bellingham, Wash., was an Academic All-District honoree for the first time, making the Second Team after posting a 3.813 grade point average while earning her degree in Family and Consumer Sciences.  She won the Northwest Conference championship and All-NWC honors in the triple jump this spring with a season’s best mark of 36-5.75 (11.12m)  She also took first place in the triple jump in the Pacific Luau and John Knight Twilight meets, was second in the Willamette Last Chance meet, and came in third in the Linfield Icebreaker.  She earned All-NWC honors in her sophomore and junior years as well, finishing third in the NWC Championships in the triple jump each of those times.

District VIII of CoSIDA consists of all university and college sports media relations personnel from Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawai'i, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho.  As a member of the Academic All-District VIII First Team, Forbes is automatically submitted for consideration for the Academic All-America Team, which will be chosen soon by CoSIDA’s Academic All-America Committee. 

This is the fifth year for the CoSIDA Academic All-America teams to be sponsored by ESPN The Magazine.