SPOKANE, Wash. - The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has announced that Whitworth University is the men's 2008 Outdoor Scholar Team of the Year. In addition, Cody Stelzer has been named the Division III Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year and three other Pirate men made the USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Team as individuals.

Cody Stelzer	Brandon Howell	Alex Hymel	Ben Spaun

The Pirate men finished third at the 2008 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field championship meet in May, tying for the highest ever finish at an NCAA championship event for the school with the 2005 men's soccer team. The Pirates were coming off of their second-ever Northwest Conference title. In addition, Whitworth has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.214.

The selection of the All-Academic Outdoor Scholar Team of the Year award is based on a combination of academic and athletic achievements, with the top honor going to the team that had the combination of best overall finish at the Division III Outdoor National Championships and cumulative GPA.

“The philosophy of our program has always been to help student-athletes to succeed at the highest level both athletically and academically, while at the same time growing socially and spiritually," said Whitworth head track and field coach Toby Schwarz. "A national recognition such as this helps to show that we are moving in the right direction.”

After an excellent indoor season that culminated in a second place finish in the high jump at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, Cody Stelzer (The Dalles, Ore.) has been named the 2008 Division III Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. Only a sophomore, Stelzer also won an individual national title in 2008, winning the high jump at the Division III Outdoor Championships. Stelzer is a chemistry/biology major at Whitworth, earning a 3.479 GPA in his first two years.

“Cody is the type of student-athlete that every coach loves to have as a member of the program,” said Schwarz. “[He] is a triple threat: Outstanding athlete, Gifted student, and Quality Individual.”

To qualify for the USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Track and Field Team as an individual, a student-athlete must have compiled a GPA of 3.25 or higher and have met the NCAA Division III Indoor or Outdoor provisional qualifying standard in at least one event. The three other Pirates named to the 2008 Division III men's All-Academic Track and Field Team are Brandon Howell (Sr., Clarkston, Wash.), Alex Hymel (Fr., Damascus, Ore.), and Ben Spaun (Sr., Wenatchee, Wash.).

Howell, who graduated this spring as a Health, Fitness and P.E. major, was the 2008 Northwest Conference champion in the 800 meter run and finished the year with a best time of 1:51.75.

Hymel, a pre-medicine major, broke through to finish eighth in the javelin at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships and finished with a season-best mark of 193'-3".

Spaun graduated in May as a physics and math major. Spaun won Northwest Conference titles in the 110 meter high hurdles and 400 hurdles, led off the NWC-winning 4x400 relay and finished third in the conference decathlon competition with an automatic NCAA qualifying score of 6,641 points. Spaun, who has been awarded a six year graduate scholarship to Harvard University, was the 2008 NWC Outstanding Men's Track and Field Athlete.