Malone University distance runner
Zach Fresenko has been named to the Academic All-District Track & Field/Cross Country Team. The Academic All-District Team, which is selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America), was announced by the organization on Friday afternoon.
Â
The award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. District 4 represents universities from the three conferences in the Midwest Region (G-MAC, GLIAC, and GLVC).
Â
Honorees selected Academic All-District will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot. Those deemed Academic All-Americans will be announced in late June.
Â
Zach Fresenko, a junior from Louisville, Ohio and Louisville High School, was Malone's top cross country runner last fall, finishing first among Pioneers in each of the last four races. Of the 10 student-athletes chosen to the Academic All-District Team, Fresenko was one of three cross country runners, one of three representatives from the G-MAC, and one of five non-seniors.
Â
Fresenko, the 2017 G-MAC Cross Country Freshman of the Year, followed a runner-up finish at the 2018 G-MAC Championship with a fourth-place finish in the Championship meet last October. He then went on to earn his second-straight All-Midwest Region accolade in November, placing 25th overall.
Â
The three-time G-MAC First Team All-Conference selection also picked up his first G-MAC Athlete of the Week Award last fall after a strong performance at the Royals XC Challenge in Charlotte. He placed second among DII runners at the All-Ohio Championships two weeks prior.
Â
At the G-MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in February, Fresenko scored for Malone in both the 5,000 meters (seventh) and the 3,000 meters (eighth). As a sophomore in 2019, he finished second in the 5K and fourth in the 3K. Last May at the G-MAC Outdoor Championships, he placed fourth in the 10,000 meters and fifth in the 5,000.
Â
Academically, Fresenko is a standout in the classroom, producing a 3.92 GPA while majoring in Mathematics, Finance, and Business Administration.
Â