August 10, 2021

Helmuth, Rovenstine Collect CoSIDA Academic All-American Awards

AUSTIN, Texas – Alex Helmuth and Luke Rovenstine were recently named CoSIDA NAIA Cross Country/Track and Field Academic All-Americans, as voted on and announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Helmuth claimed a spot on the First-Team and Rovenstine earned Second-Team honors.

The 21-member list of First and Second-Team Academic All-Americans consisted of student-athletes from around the NAIA and recognized individuals for academic and athletic accomplishments. Stats and honors from the individual's 2020-2021 season were considered.

Helmuth collected his first CoSIDA Academic All-America First-Team honor after posting a 3.89 grade-point average in biochemistry. The junior also collected USTFCCCA All-Academic honors and will earn NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors later this fall for his work in the classroom.

The Monticello, Illinois native earned three All-American awards, including a fifth-place finish at cross country nationals, a seventh-place finish in the 5,000-meters at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships and a sixth-place finish in the 10,000-meters at the NAIA Outdoor Track Nationals. During the 2020-2021 seasons, Helmuth broke two school records, including the indoor track 5,000-meters and the outdoor track 10,000-meters, and recorded the third-fastest 8,000-meter time in Taylor cross country history. Helmuth also collected four All-Crossroads League honors during his junior season. Following his incredible junior-year campaign, Helmuth was named Taylor University's Male Athlete of the Year.

Rovenstine collected his first CoSIDA Academic All-America Second-Team honor after posting a 3.94 grade-point average in biology. The senior also collected USTFCCCA All-Academic honors and will earn NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors later this fall for his work in the classroom.

The Overland Park, Kansis native claimed All-American honors after his 17th-place finish at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships and earned All-Crossroads League honors after placing fourth at the CL Cross Country Championships. Rovenstine finished 10th place in the 5,000-meters at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships and recorded the second-fastest 10,000-meter time in Taylor track and field history.

Including Helmuth and Rovenstine, Taylor has had five student-athlete earn the CoSIDA Academic All-American honor in 2020-2021, together with Teegan Heiniger of men's lacrosse, Vincent Miranda of men's basketball and Sarah Harden of women's cross country/track and field. Taylor University led all NAIA colleges in 2020-2021 with 36 Academic All-District awards.

The Trojans now have 98 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in Taylor school history, with 96 awards since 2010. Helmuth is TU's 51st First-Team Academic All-American.

Helmuth and Rovenstine give the TU men's track and cross country programs a total of 13 CoSIDA All-Americans, with Helmuth's honor being the eighth First-Team honor in program history.

The CoSIDA Academic All-American award is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements in the classroom, as well as on the court or field of play. In order to be eligible for the honor, an athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30, must have reached sophomore status academically with at least one full year at their current institution and must have participated in over half of the team's competitions as a key contributor during the current season.

Student-athletes are nominated for the award by their institution's Sports Information Department and voted on by members of CoSIDA.