June 8, 2005

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University women’s cross country standout Jessica Walton/Williamsburg (Jamestown) has been named to the 2005 ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-District III University Division Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field Team.  She was a second-team selection to the academic team voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) within the district that includes Division I institutions in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Walton started all eight meets for the women’s cross country team last fall and led the team in five events, including three Top-10, four Top 25, and seven Top 50 individual finishes.  She established a new school-record for the 5K (19:08), and also has school-records in the 3000 steeplechase (11:38.76) and the 5000-meter run (18:40.24) while competing at outdoor track and field competitions.
    
Walton is a recent summa cum laude graduate of the institution with a 3.828 GPA while majoring in communication disorders.  Jessica is the daughter of Randy and Heather Walton of Williamsburg.
    
To be eligible for consideration to the ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic teams, a student-athlete must carry a GPA of 3.2 or higher (on a 4.0 scale), must be in at least the second year of participation at the school, and be an important team contributor.