BEREA, OHIO --  Baldwin Wallace University senior cross country and track and field standout student-athlete Brooke Hradisky (Aurora) capped her outstanding collegiate career when she earned Division III third-team CAPITAL ONE Academic All-America honors.

 

Hradisky, who carried a 3.93 grade point average in political science, competed in both cross country and track. She was BW's 2014 Clyde Lamb Award winner, symbolic of the school's Most Outstanding Female Student-Athlete and was the BW Student Service Organiziation "Student of the Year".

Hradisky, who served as the President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2013-2014 was a multiple All-Ohio Athletic Conference performer and ranked among the best 800-meter runners in Division III. She was both the indoor and outdoor All-Ohio 800-meter runner up. She also was a four-year standout on the cross country team.

In the classroom, Hradisky was a Dean's List student, member of the Alpha Lambda, Dayton C. Miller and Chi Sigma Alpha honoraries and a Jacket Scholar.

"We are extremely proud of Brooke," said veteran Head Coach Bill Taraschke who has led more than 40 Yellow Jacket cross country and track teams to Ohio Athletic Conference titles and has coached 19 Academic All-Americans during his career at BW.

"Brooke is the total package," continued Taraschke. "She is an outstanding student, an excellent runner, an even better leader and the type of person who has overcome adversity and injury to accomplish her goals.  We couldn't be more pleased for Brooke and her family."

Taraschke also made note that it was nice to have a second CAPITAL ONE Division III track Academic All-American as current junior sprinter Ben Beidleman (Washington, D.C./ St. Anselm's Abbey) was a first-team selection on the men's side.

 "Young men and women come to a school like Baldwin Wallace both for the great educational experience and for the opportunity to win championships and run at the national meet," said Taraschke. "It is what NCAA Division III athletics are all about."

BW is proud of its rich tradition of Division III and small college Academic All-America student-athletes. During each of the past two years, BW has had six and the two-year total of 12 gives the university 93 total.  That total is more than any other Ohio Athletic Conference school and is the second most of any Division III institution in the state.