Andrew Hilliard voted Verizon Academic All-American

June 17, 2002
St. Thomas track and field All-American Andrew Hilliard (JR-Woodbury) is a repeat honoree on the Verizon Academic All-America team announced today.

Hilliard, a first-team honoree on the 2001-2002 College Division Track/Cross Country team, is among 45 honorees from Division II, III and NAIA institutions. He was the lone MIAC athlete honored of the 45 in men's track and cross country.

Hilliard, who has a 3.98 gpa in Mathematics, was a second-team at-large Verizon Academic All-American honoree in 2001.

He becomes the first St. Thomas student-athlete to earn two Academic All-America honors in one season -- he also was voted first-team Verizon Academic All-American in football last fall.

Hilliard's two elite Verizon honors in 2001-2002 helped St. Thomas tie an MIAC record with six Academic All-America honors in one school year. Jake Barkley and Andy Kaiser also were honored in football; Kristen Murray (women's swimming) made the women's at-large team; and Jacob Kraus (tennis) made the men's at-large team.

St. Thomas has had 22 Academic All-Americans in the last 12 seasons, including 11 in the last three seasons.

The Verizon Academic All-America award program recognizes academic and athletic excellence. To be eligible for nomination, a player must have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) and be at least a sophomore. Players are nominated for the award by their school's sports information director and selected by the voting members of the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA).

Hilliard competed on two top-five relays last month at the NCAA Division III Championships at Macalester College in St. Paul. He led off the fourth-place 4x100 relay which clocked 41.49. He later anchored the 4x400 team that took fifth place in 3:12.51 -- just .14 a second off the all-time MIAC best which Hilliard was a part of at nationals in 2001.

Hilliard, who qualified for the 2002 NCAA Division III national indoor meet at 400 meters. He contributed to four MIAC championships this season -- indoors in the 4x400 relay, and outdoors in the 400 hurdles (repeat winner) and the 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay. On his three-year career, the Tommies have won all six indoor and outdoor team conference championships. He's been a part of eight relay titles and two 400 hurdles championships.

He ran on the sixth-place 4x400 relay team in 2001 NCAA Division III national meet. In football he's caught 98 passes for 1,808 yards and 17 touchdowns in three seasons, and needs 845 yards in 2002 to become the Tommies' career receiving yards leader.