Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: May 30

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MOORHEAD, Minn. (6/01/06)-- Concordia seniors Natalie Hanson (Rogers, Minn./Elk River HS) and Angie Pfeiffer (Colman, S.D./Colman-Egan HS) were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District

Track & Field/Cross Country First Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) it was announced on Thursday. Hanson and Pfeiffer will now be placed on the ballot for Academic All-American honors.

Hanson and Pfeiffer are two of five athletes from the MIAC to earn first team honors. Concordia is the only school in the region that placed more than one student/athlete on the All-District First Team. It is the first time that Hanson has won the prestigious academic award and second consecutive year for Pfeiffer. Last year Pfeiffer was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team and then went on to capture Academic All-American Second Team honors.

Hanson carried a 3.78 grade point average wile majoring in Environmental Studies and Biology and Pfeiffer had a 3.91 GPA while majoring in English Writing and Pre-Dentistry. Both athletes are planning on attending graduate school.

The pair are the fourth and fifth athletes from Concordia to earn Academic All-District First team honors during the 2005-06 athletic year (Matt Kleber, football; Keith Eckhoff, men's basketball; Annie Cullen, at-large). That is the most Academic All-District First team award-winners in one school year in the history of Cobber athletics.

The honor is given to athletes in the College Division of the Academic All-American award. The College Division includes players from NCAA Division II, III and NAIA from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana schools. Sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to be nominated. Student-athletes must have a grade-point average above 3.20 (4.0 scale) and have outstanding athletic credentials. College sports information directors in the district vote for the teams.

Hanson earned her first All-American honors by placing fourth in the 1500 meters and sixth in the 800 meters at the recently completed NCAA Division III National Outdoor Track and Field at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill. She became the third consecutive Cobber women's track and field athlete to earn multiple All-American awards in the same outdoor national championship meet. Last year Nicole Plante ('05, Fort Benton, Mont.) earned All-American status in the javelin and heptathlon and in 2004 Pfeiffer completed the feat in the 400 meters and 4x400-meter relay.

Hanson set school record in the 800 and 1500 meters this spring and automatically qualified for the national meet in both events. She was the first Cobber women's athlete to automatically qualify for two individual track events in over a decade.

Hanson also excelled in the fall in cross country. She earned All-Region honors by finishing fourth at the Central Region Meet held in Waverly, Iowa. She went on to compete in her first NCAA National Cross Country Meet.

Pfeiffer was recently named the USTFCCCA Central Region Athlete of the Year. She also earned her sixth All-American award by finishing third in the 400 meters at the national meet.

Pfeiffer won the 400 meters at the MIAC Championship Meet and earned Performance of the Meet for her record-breaking victory.

She also won the 400 meters at the MIAC Indoor Championship Meet and was awarded the Performance of the Meet award as she broke the MIAC meet record.

Pfeiffer finished her career by breaking 13 school records and competing in six NCAA national Championship Meets, including all four outdoor championship meets.

She won the MIAC Performance of the Meet award on three separate occasions and was named the MIAC Most Outstanding Track Athlete in 2004 when she helped the Cobber capture the MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship.

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ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District

Track and Field/Cross Country - College Division

FIRST TEAM
Angie Pfeiffer CONCORDIA COLLEGE (MN)
Keidra Anderson HAMLINE UNIVERSITY
Hailey Harren GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE
Jessica Trautwein MINNESOTA STATE MOORHEAD
Megan Kielar WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER, UNIV. OF
Molly Bauman ST. THOMAS (MN), UNIVERSITY OF
Natalie Hanson CONCORDIA COLLEGE (MN)
Meghan Voiland AUGUSTANA COLLEGE (IL)
Jane Marie Ovanin WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE, UNIV.

Julia Rudd WISCONSIN -LA CROSSE, UNIVERSITY OF
Jenna Mitchler WISCONSIN-STEVENS POINT, UNIV. OF

SECOND TEAM
Deidra Faber WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Steph Barnes WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE, UNIVERSITY OF
Bekki Cheatham AUGUSTANA COLLEGE (IL)
Rachel Anderson ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
Liz Faller WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE, UNIVERSITY OF
Sarah Schettle WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH, UNIVERSITY OF
Megan Rossi NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE
Linnea Campbell MINNESOTA STATE MANKATO
Cassandra Moe ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY
Sara Bremer AUGUSTANA COLLEGE (IL)
Jessica Winter CHICAGO, UNIVERSITY OF