June 4, 2009

DAVIS, Calif. - It was announced Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) that UC Davis distance runner Scott Himmelberger has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 8 second team for cross country and track and field. It is the first all-district honor for Himmelberger, who has also earned Big West Conference All-Academic the past two years.

Eligible student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better and have participated as a starter or key reserve for their team. In addition, All-District honorees must have competed in at least 50 percent of the team's contests and have completed at least one academic year at their institution. CoSIDA names teams for eight different districts at the university (NCAA Division I) and college (NCAA Division II and III) levels.

Himmelberger owns an impressive GPA of 3.99 as a chemical engineering major. He has been named to the conference all-academic team in each of his last two eligible years. He becomes the first male Aggie distance runner since Will Merchad in 2005 to earn academic all-district accolades.

Athletically, Himmelberger was a major contributor to the Aggie men's cross country team as he scored team points in three of the five meets in which he competed. That list included Pre-Nationals and the NCAA West Regional. He also finished as a displacer at the conference championships. In addition, Himmelberger competed in the distance events for the UC Davis outdoor track and field team and finished in the top 10 at conference in the 10,000-meter run.

Both Aggie men's track and field and cross country teams finished second at their respective conference championships.