Four Landmark Track Stars Named Academic All-Americans
MADISON, N.J. - Four Landmark Conference track & field seniors have closed their career with a prestigious honor with selection to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-District NCAA Division III Track & Field/Cross Country First Teams selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Moravian College and The Catholic University of America each claimed the honors. Timothy Layng of Moravian was a first-team selection, while his teammates Abigail Schaffer and Gary Zack were second-team selections. Catholic's Kelly Carioto rounded out the selections with a third-team honor.
Layng was named the NCAA Division III Elite 89 Award winner at the 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor national championships last week, and he was on the Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Third Team a year ago. Layng earned All-America for the second time this season after placing fourth in the pole vault at the NCAA outdoor meet, tying his school record height of 5.00 meters (16 feet, 4 ¾ inches). Layng was also seventh in the pole vault at the 2012 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships to earn All-America accolades for the first time in his career, and he captured his sixth Landmark Conference title in the pole vault during the outdoor championships. Layng graduated with a degree in biology in May.
Schaffer, who was the 2011 USTFCCCA Division III Indoor National Field Athlete of the Year and the 2011 and 2012 Mideast Region Indoor and Outdoor Female Field Athlete of the Year, finished as the runner-up at the 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor national meet at a height of 4.15 meters (13 feet, 7 ½ inches). She entered the meet with NCAA Division III all-time record of 13-10 (4.22 meters) in the Greyhound Invitational on April 21st. Schaffer won four Landmark Conference titles and two ECAC titles in the pole vault in her two years at Moravian, and she has vaulted over four meters in seven meets, five of them outdoors during the 2012 season. Schaffer captured the 2011 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships with NCAA meet records each time. She graduated on May 12 with a degree in marketing.
Zack, who was the 2012 Mideast Region Male Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, was the runner-up in the javelin at the NCAA Championships with a toss of 67.14 meters (220 feet, three inches). Zack, the 2011 NCAA Division III National Champion in the javelin, had the top throw in the country this season with a school record toss of 69.05 meters (226 feet, six inches). The distance is the eighth best throw in NCAA Division III history and just three feet shy of the 2012 Olympic provisional qualifying standard which is 70 meters. Zack has surpassed 60 meters in nine of ten meets this season with the only meet under 60 meters coming on his only attempt at the 2012 Landmark Conference Championships to finish as the runner-up just 27 hours after throwing in the Penn Relays College Championship flight. On the throw, Zack took just a seven-step run up and still threw 59.74 meters (196 feet). Zack completed his degree in nursing last month.
Carioto completed one of the most storied track careers at CUA in 2011-12. She was named the 2012 Landmark Conference Field Athlete of the Meet at the outdoor conference championships, capturing the shot put and discus championships along the way. The shot put title was her second at the outdoor championships, to go along with her four indoor titles. Carioto won the shot put seven times during the 2011-12 indoor and outdoor seasons. The school record holder in the shot put and discus, Carioto earned seven Field Athlete of the Week awards during her career and was a four-time First Team All-Landmark Conference selection. In the classroom, Carioto was named a 2011 Academic All-American by the USTFCCCA, and she is a multi-year member of the Dean's List and Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll. A history major, Carioto maintained a 3.93 grade point average at CUA, and was the 2011 ECAC indoor shot put champion, becoming the first Cardinal in over a decade to win an ECAC title.
To be eligible for Capital One Academic All-America® accolades, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.30 grade-point average, be a sophomore, junior or senior and be a starter or significant reserve. The four selections now give the Landmark 15 Capitol One Academic All-America selections for the 2011-12 Academic Year.
Story provided by Catholic & Moravian Sports Information
