Men's Track & Field | 6/24/2015 11:04:00 AM

Capital One Academic All-America® Release (PDF) | Mountaineer Academic All-Americans

GUNNISON, Colo. – The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Wednesday that Western State Colorado University pole vaulter Luke Arnold (Sr., Wichita, Kan.) and distance runner Ryan Haebe (Jr., Evergreen, Colo.) have been selected to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Men's Track & Field/Cross Country First Team.
 
Arnold and Haebe made up two of the 15 first team selections and were the only male athletes from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) to appear on the list.
 
Western has now totaled 27 Academic All-America selections in its history including 10 first team recipients. The Mountaineer track & field/cross country teams have compiled 14 Academic All-America honors with 11 of those coming in the last six years. Arnold and Haebe join wrestler Corbin Bennetts as Capital One Academic All-America® First Team honorees for the 2014-15 season.
 
Arnold held a 3.81 GPA as a Business Administration major and Exercise & Sport Science minor. A three-time NCAA Championship pole vault participant, Arnold earned his first All-American honor with a third-place finish at the national indoor meet in March. Arnold was a four-time South Central All-Region selection and a two-time RMAC champion during his career. A former school record holder, he ranked 10th nationally this season with a personal-best height of 5.08 meters (16-08). He was a four-time Dean's List honoree and was named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team twice this season. Arnold also earned conference recognition last year for his efforts in the classroom, being selected to the league's honor roll during the outdoor season.
 
A History major with a minor in Sociology, Haebe maintained a 3.71 GPA before graduating from Western in May. He was a seven-time All-American and two-time national champion during his time as a Mountaineer. This season, Haebe provisionally qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, running a season-best 9:17.03 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to rank 27th in the nation. He was named RMAC All-Academic First Team for both the indoor and outdoor seasons to bring his career total to six first team nods. He was also named to the conference's second team all-academic team twice and to the honor roll three times. During his career, he was selected twice as the RMAC Academic Runner of the Year. From 2011-12, he was selected to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, and was named the NCAA Division II Cross Country Runner of the Year after his national championship performance at the 2011 national meet. Haebe was also tabbed the NCAA Division II National Scholar-Athlete of the Year following the 2011 season.