A Ball State University men's volleyball player received a national academic honor for the first time his college career.
Middle attacker Anders Nelson was one of 10 players selected to the 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 Men's At-Large First Team on Thursday.
This academic award was voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of American from District 5, which includes Illinois. Indiana. Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. To be eligible for this team a player must be at least a sophomore, have a minimum cumulative 3.3 grade point average and be a starter or key bench player on their team.
Nelson, a junior finance major, finished the Spring Semester with a 3.93 cumulative GPA. In his second season with Ball State, Nelson was in the conference's top 10 for attack percentage and blocks per game average and was named to the Second-Team All-Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
He also was selected to the Academic All-MIVA Team for the second consecutive year.
This is the third time in the last five seasons a Ball State player has been voted to this academic team. Outside attacker Nick Meyer was named to the District 5 first team in 2006, and middle attacker Justin Orr was selected to the District 5 first team and Academic All-America team in 2008.
As a member of the District 5 team, Nelson will be placed on the national ballot for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's At-Large Team. That academic team will be announced June 8.
Sports include on the men's at-large ballot were fencing, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 Men's At-Large First Team
Kris Berzins, men's volleyball — Loyola
David Colturi, men's swimming and diving — Purdue
Colin Gray, men's swimming and diving — Evansville
Kyle Hardwick, hockey — Bemidji State
Lachlan Ferguson, men's tennis — Indiana
Anders Nelson, men's volleyball — Ball State
Jeff Rutherford, men's tennis — Eastern Illinois
Coby Thompson, men's golf — Bradley
Jeremy Waldhart, men's swimming and diving — Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Zach Wanken, men's golf — Bradley
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