Peterson Earns Academic All-America Honors

For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 18, 2009

La Crosse, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse senior Brad Peterson of Hartland (Arrowhead) has been named to the 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's Track & Field/Cross Country College Division Second Team.

He is the ninth Academic All-American in men's track and field/cross country at UW-L, joining Rob Bean (1995), Greg Kranzusch (1995), Andy Basler (2002), Doug Connor (2003), Andrew Rock (2003, 2004), Derek Toshner (2003), Nate Olson (2006) and Eric Svestka (2006). Rock was a two-time Academic All-American First Team selection while Bean, Kranzusch, Basler, Connor and Svestka also earned first team honors. Toshner and Olson were both second-team selections.

UW-L has now had 55 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans in school history, including at least one selection in 17 consecutive years.

A biology major with a biomedical science concentration and chemistry minor, Peterson maintained a 3.95 grade point average. He is a three-time member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Scholastic Honor Roll and has been recognized on UW-L’s Dean’s List every semester. Peterson, a member of UW-L's Winner's Council, received the WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award for indoor and outdoor track and field this year.

He earned three career NCAA Division III All-America honors in the 400-meter hurdles, placing fourth in 2007, fifth in 2006 and eighth in 2005. Peterson was a member of UW-L's second-place distance medley relay at the 2007 NCAA III Indoor Championships.

He was the WIAC champion in the 400-meter hurdles and a member of the first-place 4x400-meter relay at the 2007 outdoor championships.