WALTHAM, MA -- University of Delaware senior cross country and track and field standout Allison Behrle (at right) has been selected to the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America District 2 Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field All-Academic team.

Behrle (pronounced “burl”), a nutrition and dietetics major from Manassas, VA, was one of 21 female student-athletes honored on the first and second teams. To be eligible, student-athletes must carry a 3.2 or better grade point average, have at least sophomore standing, and be a key member of his or her team. All members of the first team advance to the national ballot with the Academic All-American team to be announced later this month. District 2 includes all NCAA Division I institutions in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington, DC.

Behrle, who graduated from Delaware last month with a 3.937 grade point index, earned four letters in cross country and outdoor track and field and three in indoor track and field. She was a standout distance runner for the Blue Hens.

She was named the cross country squad’s Alumni Association Team Most Valuable Player last month after serving as a team tri-captain and leading the squad to a fourth place finish at the Colonial Athletic Association championships. She competed in all seven races during the 2005 season and had a season-best 28th place finish at the Delaware Invitational and finished 48th at the CAA meet.

Also a standout distance runner in track and field, she placed eighth in the 10,000 meter run at the CAA outdoor championships in April after finishing 12th in the event in 2005 and 16th in 2004.

She posted the indoor team’s fourth best 5,000 meter time (19:50.79) and the outdoor team’s second best 10,000 meter time (39:54.77) and fourth best 5,000 meter time (19:10.41) this past season.

She also was presented the ECAC Medal of Merit Award in May as the UD senior female student-athlete and letterwinner with the highest cumulative grade point index and was a recipient of the Wilmington Trust Best of the Blue Hens Scholar-Athlete Award.

AGATE:

ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA District 2 Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field District 2 All-Academic Teams:

1st team: Andrea Luebbe (Lehigh), Mandy Jenkins (Mt. St. Mary’s); Jennifer Leatherman (Penn State), Kirsten Andrews (Navy), Melissa Stewart (Duquesne), Diana Bruch (Penn State), Allison Behrle (Delaware), Jen Schappert (Lehigh), Samantha Howard (Duquesne), Keira Carlstrom (American).

2nd Team: Meghan O’Neil (Georgetown), Deborah Fink (Georgetown), Kristen Micsky (Duquesne), Maureen McCandless (Pittsburgh), Caitlin Graham (Monmouth), Catherine Trentacoste (Bucknell), Melanie Buczko (Bucknell), Kim Najem (Mt. St. Mary’s), Laurel Jefferson (Maryland), Cack Ferrell (Princeton), Rachel Papin (LaSalle).