NEWARK, Del. -- Record-setting pole vaulter Kelli McDonald (top right) and standout distance runner Christina Antonopoulos (bottom left), who both graduated with honors from the University of Delaware last month, have been named to the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District 2 women’s track & field/cross country team.

McDonald, a native of Phoenixville, Pa. (Phoenixville High School), earned first team honors for the second straight year while Antonopoulos, a native of York, Pa. (York Suburban HS), earned a spot on the second team. Both competed for first-year head coach Wendy MacFarlane. As a first team selection, McDonald and is now eligible for national Academic All-American honors. Those teams will be announced later this month.

The teams are selected by a vote of sports information directors from schools within District 2, which includes Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Nominees must be at least a sophomore, be a starter or key reserve, and carry a 3.30 or better grade point average.

McDonald, who last week was named the Colonial Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s outdoor track & field, graduated from Delaware with a degree in accounting last month and carried a cumulative gpa of 3.97. Her gpa was the second highest among all members of the District 2 first team.

A member of the UD Athletic Governing Board and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, McDonald won the 2009 ECAC Medal of Merit for having the highest gpa among UD student-athletes. She studied abroad last summer in China and was active as a volunteer with Special Olympics, the Newark Senior Center, the NSCS Food Drive, and as a tax preparer for the inner-city poor in Wilmington.

McDonald was seventh in the pole vault at the NCAA East Regionals, the highest a Blue Hen has finished in any event in the nine-year history of the regionals, with a school-record vault of 12-10. McDonald, who placed third in the pole vault at the CAA Championships, finished her career with 19 career titles in the event, including three this season. She also placed eighth at the ECAC Championships to earn All-East honors. She was a two-time All-East selection during her career and posted three career top four finishes at the CAA outdoor meet.

Antonopoulos, who starred in cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field and earned nine letters, earned her degree in biochemistry with a minor in German last month and carried a cumulative gpa of 3.62.

She was the top runner for the UD cross country teams each of the last two seasons and led the team 11 times in her career, including posting nine top 10 overall finishes. She earned All-CAA honors in 2007 and All-East laurels in 2008. She won seven career meet titles in indoor track while earning All-East honors in the distance medley relay in 2009. She set a school indoor record in the 4 x 800 meter relay (9:15.89) and her mile time of 4:57.05 ranks No. 2 all-time.

In outdoor track and field, Antonopoulos won six career meet titles and set a school record in the 4 x 1,500 meter relay (19:02.19). She placed 10th in the 5,000 meters at the 2009 CAA Outdoor Championships. Antonopoulos, who speaks four languages, was involved in an undergraduate research program at UD last summer, won first place at the McNair Research Symposium in 2008 for a research project, served as President of UD German Club, and was a hospital volunteer.

AGATE:

ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic 1st team: Kelli McDonald (Delaware), Megan Brandeland (Princeton), Maggie Infield (Georgetown), Anna Hoffman (St. Francis, Pa.), Katie Rogus (Maryland); Erica Ziel (Navy); Marie-Louise Asselin (West Virginia); Gillian Nordquist (Bucknell); Samantha Howard (Duquesne); Bridget Franek (Penn State).

ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic 2nd team: Jolee VanLeuven (Princeton); Reilly Kiernan (Princeton); Mycaiah Clemons (Pittsburgh); Alea Murphy (Towson); Janelle Adams (Pittsburgh); Keri Bland (West Virginia); Emma Schmelzer (Penn State); Christina Antonopoulos (Delaware); Anna Aagenes (Penn); Jessica Kloss (Princeton); Megan Hathaway (Bucknell).