May 29, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue seniors Prentice Stovall and Simona Kovacic were named today to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-District V Track and Field teams. Stovall, a native of Lafayette, Ind., was chosen to the men's first team, while Kovacic was selected to the women's second team.
Stovall, a management major, recently led the Boilermakers to a second-place finish at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The 2003 Dave Rankin Track MVP collected wins in the 100-meter dash and with the 4x100 relay team, which set a Bierman Track record of 39.75 seconds. Stovall also finished runner-up in the 110-hurdles and placed fifth in the 200.
This outdoor season, Stovall recorded career bests in the 100, 200, and 110 hurdles and helped the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams set school records. Both relay squads clocked their record-breaking marks at the prestigious Texas Relays in April. Stovall's times in the 100 (10.39) and the 110 hurdles (13.96) are among the five fastest recorded in school history.
Kovacic, a law and society major, capped her Big Ten career with a bronze-medal showing in the pole vault at the 2003 outdoor conference championships. The native of Etobicoke, Ontario, became just the second female Boilermaker to hover over the 13-foot mark during an outdoor campaign, after reaching a winning height of 13-1 1/2 at the Miami (Ohio) Invitational. Her leap in Oxford, Ohio, is the second highest outdoor pole vault in school history.
The 2003 Big Ten indoor pole vault champion, Kovacic recently was honored with the Corissa Yasen MVP Award, which is presented to the team's outstanding female field athlete.
The student-athletes named to the Academic All-District V Track and Field first team will appear on the national ballot for the Verizon Academic All-America team, which will be announced June 19.
This year's team was voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) from District V, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin. To qualify, student-athletes must hold at least sophomore status, own a minimum grade-point average of 3.2, and be either a starter or key reserve for their team.