Feb. 27, 2008

NOTRE DAME, IND. - Metro State junior forward Jesse Wagstaff was named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America men's basketball third team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Wagstaff, the RMAC Academic Player of the Year, earned all-District first-team honors earlier this month and moved on to the all-America ballot. He has a 4.0 grade point average in civil engineering. Wagstaff, the RMAC Player of the Week, Jan. 28, leads the Roadrunners in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg).

To be eligible for the program, the student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve, must have a grade point average of at least 3.20 on a 4.00 scale and must be at least a sophomore, both academically and athletically.

Wagstaff is Metro State's third academic all-America already this year, as Rachel Zollner (women's soccer, first team) and Phillip Owen (men's soccer, third team) were recognized during the fall.

Metro State, 19-11 overall, is at Colorado Christian for the first-round of the RMAC Tournament, Feb. 29.

2007-08 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Teams

College Division, First Team
Troy Ruths, Sr., Washington University
Jimmy Bartolotta, Jr., Massachusetts Inst. Tech
Eric Bieniasz, Sr., St. Norbert
Steve Dagostino, Sr., Saint Rose
Chris Pendleton, Sr., Southern Virginia

Academic All-American of the Year: Troy Ruths, Washington

College Division, Second Team
Ben Chase, Sr., Emerson
Tyler Cooper, Sr., West Texas A&M
Ben Falkenberg, Jr., Mount Vernon Nazarene
Ryan Fiegi, Sr., Oregon Inst. Tech
Andrew Harris, Sr., Middlebury
Kenty Raymond, Jr., Wheaton

College Division, Third Team
Jesse Wagstaff, Jr., Metro State
Jack Rother, Sr., Morningside College
Tyler Winford, Sr., Mississippi College
Trevor Wittwer, Sr., Gustavus Adolphus