Virginia Tech’s Laidig, Syracuse’s Stoner recognized as sport’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – NCAA bronze medalists Torben Laidig of Virginia Tech and Paige Stoner of Syracuse have been recognized as the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athletes of the Year and lead the sport’s All-ACC Academic Team announced on Wednesday.
Laidig was named the ACC Men’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Year earlier this month in a vote of the league’s head coaches. Stoner, the conference champion in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, was also named the ACC Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year earlier in 2017-18.
Laidig became part of a history-making trio at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, taking the bronze medal in the men’s pole vault with a mark of 5.55 meters (18-2.5). Laidig led three Hokies among the top eight, marking the first time in school history and the first time since 1985 that three pole vaulters from the same program earned first-team All-America honors at the NCAA finals.
Laidig had earlier taken the silver medal at the ACC Championships with his season-best vault of 5.60 meters. The native of Schwabish Hall, Germany closed his collegiate career as the ACC men’s pole vault co-record holder at 5.70 meters (which he first set last season) and a two-time NCAA outdoor medalist after taking the silver in 2016.
Named to the 2018 Google Cloud Track and Field and Cross Country Division I Academic All-America First Team, as voted on by members of College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Laidig graduated this spring semester with over 150 hours, double majoring in biochemistry and biology. He has been a member of Virginia Tech's Dean List eight times, including six of those eight semesters with a 4.0 GPA.
A redshirt senior, Laidig has been a member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll for four straight years. He has been a member of the All-ACC Outdoor Track and Field Academic Team the last four years and a member of the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team each of the past two seasons.
Syracuse’s Stoner crushed her own school 3,000 steeplechase record during the NCAA Championships, clocking in at 9:46.98 to conclude a stellar redshirt junior year. Her third-place finish was the best ever by a Syracuse woman at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The Pottsville, Pennsylvania, native finished her year with All-America honors in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and as a two-time ACC champion. Her winning steeplechase time of 9:50.42 at last month’s ACC Championships in Coral Gables, Florida, set a meet record. Stoner finished the outdoor regular season with the league’s top times in the women’s steeplechase, 5K and 10K and earned a bronze medal in the 5K at the ACC Championships in addition to her steeplechase gold.
Stoner became the first Syracuse women's track and field student-athlete to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors since Jillian Drouin in 2008. The selected studies in education major posted a perfect GPA for the spring semester and has been named to the All-ACC Academic Teams for cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field; the ACC Academic Honor Roll, the Syracuse Dean’s List and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll on multiple occasions.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career.
Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
In addition to Laidig and Stoner, this year’s All-ACC Outdoor Track and Field Academic Teams include conference Women’s Track Performer of the Year and NCAA silver medalist Dorcas Wasike of Louisville, along with ACC Women’s Field Performer of the Year and NCAA bronze medalist Lauri Paredes Meza of Florida State. NCAA silver medalist (and recent men’s USTAF 400 hurdles national champion) Kenny Selmon of North Carolina also earned All-ACC Academic accolades, as did Virginia Tech NCAA silver medalist Vincent Ciattei.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
The complete 2018 All-ACC Outdoor Track and Field Academic Teams:
ACC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Torben Laidig, Virginia Tech
ACC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Paige Stoner, Syracuse
2018 All-ACC Academic Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Team
Nathaniel Gordon, Clemson, Gr.; Athletic Leadership
Jeremiah Green, Clemson, Gr.; Youth Development Leadership
Iyin Battle, Duke, Jr.; Political Science
Michael Marsack, Duke, So.; Evolutionary Anthropology
Rivers Ridout, Duke; Jr.; Psychology
Jacob Sobota, Duke, Fr.; Undeclared
Steven Solomon, Duke, Gr.; Masters of Management Studies
Matt Wisner, Duke, So.; Public Policy
Montel Nevers, Florida State, Sr.; Geography
Brandon Tirado, Florida State, Jr.; Information Technology
Avery Bartlett, Georgia Tech, Jr.; Computational Media
Daniel Pietsch, Georgia Tech, Sr.; Mechanical Engineering
Preston Smith, Georgia Tech, Sr.; Computer Engineering
Nahom Solomon, Georgia Tech, Sr.; Computer Engineering
Christian Buckley, Louisville, Jr.; Bioengineering
Joe Delgado, Louisville, Gr.; Master of Urban Planning
Marcus Jegede, Louisville, Sr.; Sport Administration
John Kolb, Louisville, So.; Physical Education
Gian Piero Ragonesi, Miami, Sr.; International Business Studies
Jared Martin, North Carolina, So.-r.; Interdisciplinary Studies
Kenny Selmon, North Carolina, Sr.; Business Administration
Josh Davis, NC State, Gr.; Masters of Business Administration
Elijah Moskowitz, NC State, Jr.; Human Biology
Shannon Patterson, NC State, Sr.; Business Administration
Grant Rivers, NC State, Sr.-r; Communication (Masters)
Matthew Birzer, Notre Dame, Jr.; Business Analytics
Jacob Dumford, Notre Dame, Gr.; Computer Science & Engineering
Logan Kusky, Notre Dame, So.; Computer Engineering
Yared Nuguse, Notre Dame, Fr.; Biochemistry
Grant Jones, Pitt; So-r; Rhetoric and Communications
Noah Affolder, Syracuse, Fr.; Health and Exercise Science
Iliass Aouani, Syracuse, Jr., Civil Engineering
Colin Bennie, Syracuse; Gr.; Public Administration
Philo Germano, Syracuse, Gr.; Sport Venue & Event Mgt.
Dominic Hockenbury, Syracuse, So.; Biology
Aidan Tooker, Syracuse, So.; Communication & Rhetorical Studies
Hilmar Jonsson, Virginia, Jr.; Women, Gender & Sexuality/English
Mike Marsella, Virginia, Gr.; Higher Education
Nace Plesko, Virginia, Jr., Computer Science
Greg Chiles, Virginia Tech, Sr.; Consumer Studies
Vincent Ciattei, Virginia Tech, Sr.; Engineering Science & Mechanics
Austin Kolko, Virginia Tech, Sr.; Economics
Torben Laidig, Virginia Tech, Sr., Biochemistry/Biology
Bashir Mosavel-Lo, Virginia Tech, Fr.; General Engineering
Matthew Reinhart, Virginia Tech, Jr.; Industrial Design
James Steck, Virginia Tech, Gr.; Curriculum & Instruction
Diego Zarate, Virginia Tech, Jr., Criminology & Psychology
Robert Heppenstall, Wake Forest, Jr.; Communication
Elijah Shalaway, Wake Forest, So.; English
2018 All-ACC Academic Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Team
Paige Duca, Boston College, Jr.; Operations Management
Grace Barnett, Clemson, Gr.; Youth Development Leadership
Logan Morris, Clemson, So.; Industrial Engineering
Torie Robinson, Clemson, Gr.; Sports Communication
Rebekah Smith, Clemson, So.; Psychology
Ebony Williams, Clemson, So; Parks, Rec & Tourism Mgt.
Brittany Aveni, Duke, So., Evolutionary Anthropology
Madison Heath, Duke, Sr.; Psychology
MacKenzie Kerr, Duke, Jr.; Political Science
Jaida Lemmons, Duke, Jr.; English
India Lowe, Duke, Jr.; Psychology
Laura Marty, Duke, So.; Psychology
Maddy Price, Duke, Sr.; Sociology
Janae Caldwell, Florida State, So.; Hospitality
Shauna Helps, Florida State, Jr.; Exercise Physiology
Shanice Love, Florida State, So.; Accounting
Kayla Maczuga, Florida State, So.; Exercise Physiology
Lauri Paredes Meza, Florida State, Fr.-r; International Affairs
Hannah Welsh, Florida State, Gr.; Criminology (Masters)
Ieva Zarankaite, Florida State, Gr.; Sports Management (Masters)
Militsa Mircheva, Florida State, Jr.; Social Sciences
Hailey Gollnick, Georgia Tech, Sr.; Biology
Jeanine Williams, Georgia Tech, Jr.; Biochemistry
Bailey Davis, Louisville, Sr.; Bioengineering
Alexis Gibbons, Louisville, So.; Exercise Science
Holly Hankenson, Louisville, Sr.; Marketing
Emma Ison, Louisville, Fr.-r.; Biology
Gabriela Leon, Louisville, Fr.; Exercise Science
Dorcas Wasike, Louisville, So.; Nursing
Deborah Ajagbe, Miami, Fr.; Mechanical Engineering
Samantha Gonzalez, Miami, Jr.; Sports Administration
Kristina Knott, Miami, Sr.; Advertising
Anna Runia, Miami, Jr.; Graphic Design/Psychology
Emily Godwin, North Carolina, Sr.; Business Administration
McKinley McNeill, North Carolina, So.; Communication Studies
Gabrielle Cunningham, NC State, Jr.; Communication/Sport Management
Elly Henes, NC State, So.; Psychology
Erika Kemp, NC State, Sr.-r; Psychology/Spanish
Rachel DaDamio, Notre Dame, Jr.; Applied & Computational Math and Stats
Gabrielle Diederich, Notre Dame, Fr.; Undeclared
Jessica Harris, Notre Dame, Sr.; Theology, Public Service
Kelly Hart, Notre Dame, Jr.; Sociology
Annie Heffernan, Notre Dame, Jr.; Neuroscience & Behavior
Indi Jackson, Notre Dame, Gr.; Film, Television and Theater
Rachel Tanczos, Notre Dame, Fr.; Theology
Andin Fosam, Pitt, Sr.; Bio Sciences/History & Philosophy of Science
Kelly Hayes, Pitt, Sr. Natural Sciences
Carolyn Helenski, Pitt, So.; Communication Science
Taylor Middleton, Pitt, So.; Marketing
Aviana Goode, Syracuse, So.; Psychology
Paige Stoner, Syracuse, Jr.; Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Carly Feyerabend, Virginia, Jr.; English
Bridget Guy, Virginia, Jr.-r; French
Ciara Leonard, Virginia, Jr.; Psychology
Kelly McKee, Virginia, Jr.; Cognitive Science
Holly Sullivan, Virginia, Sr.; Speech Communication Disorders
Stefanie Aeschlimann, Virginia Tech, Fr.; University Studies
Laurie Barton, Virginia Tech, So.; Human Nutrition, Foods & Exercise
Rachel Baxter, Virginia Tech, Fr.; University Studies
Sarah Edwards, Virginia Tech, So.; Interior Design
Sara Freix, Virginia Tech, So.; Biological Systems Engineering
Lisa Gunnarsson, Virginia Tech, Fr.; General Engineering
Lindsay Herra, Virginia Tech, Sr., Human Nutrition, Foods & Exercise
Katie Kennedy, Virginia Tech, Sr., Public Relations
Emma Thor, Virginia Tech, So.; Industrial Systems Engineering
Jordan Banks, Wake Forest, Sr.; Communication
Alexandria Florent, Wake Forest, Jr.; Sociology
Samantha Halvorsen, Wake Forest, So.; English
Rachel Kern, Wake Forest, Fr.; Undeclared
Mimi Smith, Wake Forest, Jr.; Health & Exercise Science