FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason University men's track & field All-American John Seals has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Friday.
 
It marks the first time in his illustrious career that Seals earns the elite academic honor and the first time in men's track & field program history that a student-athlete has qualified for the team.
 
As a member of the District 3 Team, Seals now joins a pool of 84 student-athletes from the nation's eight total districts on the Academic All-America ballot. The first-, second- and third-team All-America selections will be announced in mid-June.
 
The CoSIDA Academic All-America® program is the only Academic All-America designation recognized by the NCAA. To be eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
 
A four-time A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll selection and two-time member of the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team, Seals carries an impressive 3.66 GPA while majoring in civil engineering.
 
Seals made a strong contribution to Mason's illustrious track & field history this past winter, when he garnered USTFCCCA Second Team All-America honors in indoor track. The Springfield, Va., product qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championship – one of the hardest track & field meets to qualify for in the world – with an outstanding performance in the heptathlon during the season.
 
He captured the A-10 Championship title in the event with a school-record point total of 5,770, qualifying for the indoor national meet in the process. In College Station, Seals put together another solid total of 5,447 points to earn the Second Team All-America designation.
 
In addition to his A-10 gold medal in the heptathlon, Seals also captured individual crowns in the high jump and the 60m hurdles while leading the Patriots to the Atlantic 10 title. For his efforts, Seals was named the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track & Field Performer of the Year.
 
In his career, Seals has won six individual Atlantic 10 Championships while leading the Patriots to a trio of team titles. He is a three-time NCAA qualifier, having also placed in the top-25 in the high jump during NCAA East Preliminary berths in 2015 and 2016.
 
Seals did not compete during the 2017 outdoor season due to injury but will be back to Mason in the fall to continue to build upon his elite career with the Green & Gold.

2017 CoSIDA Academic-All District 3 Team - Track & Field/Cross Country
Cameron Brown, Tennessee - 3.63 GPA/Marketing
RJ Alowonle, North Carolina - 3.53 GPA/Business Administration
Nick Ciolkowski, Elon - 3.85 GPA/Biochemistry
Olushola Olojo, Memphis - 3.99 GPA/Business Economics
Luke Phillips, VMI - 3.98 GPA/Biology, Chemistry
John Seals, George Mason - 3.66 GPA/Civil Engineering
Caleb Smith, UNC Asheville - 3.91 GPA/Chemistry
Pol Solanellas, East Carolina - 4.00 GPA/Communication
Paul Stuart, Chattanooga - 3.94 GPA/Accounting (Masters)
Ben Weisel, Belmont - 4.00 GPA/Honors & Accounting

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