CoSIDA Academic All-District selections

RINDGE, N.H. (June 5, 2018) – Senior Martin Gradijan (Lebanon, N.H.) and graduate student Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) of the Franklin Pierce University men’s cross country and track & field teams have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District I First Team, as announced late last week by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). As a result of the selection, Gradijan advances to the Academic All-America ballot.

To be eligible for selection, each student-athlete must own a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average or higher, be at least a sophomore in academic standing and be a starter or significant contributor athletically. The Academic All-District and All-America teams are voted on by sports information directors in the district and nation, respectively.

It is the third career CoSIDA Academic All-District selection for Holmes, while Gradijan earns the accolade for the first time. CoSIDA’s Academic All-District program recognizes cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field all under the same umbrella.

When the nomination period for the awards was open, which was before the conclusion of the spring semester, Gradijan held a 3.97 grade-point average as a biology major. During the cross country season in the fall, he turned in a 74^th-place finish in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, as well as a 56^th-place finish in the NCAA Championship East Regional. Gradijan’s indoor track season included a run on the 4x800-meter relay team, which finished third at the NE10 Championships. In the outdoor season, he finished fifth at the NE10 Championships in the 3000-meter steeplechase, as well as 23^rd in the 5000 meters.

For his part, Holmes earned a 3.81 grade-point average as a graphic communications and marketing major as an undergraduate, and was nominated with a 3.59 GPA as a graduate student. Holmes competed at the championship level only in the outdoor track & field season in 2017-18. At the NE10 Championships, he was a member of the title-winning 4x800-meter relay team, and also turned in a 24^th-place finish in the 800 meters. Holmes followed up as part of a third-place 4x800-meter team at the NEICAAA Championships, to earn All-New England honors.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics’ official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce track & field apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics’ online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).