Mattox and Dinsmore are Chosen First Team Capital One Academic All-District

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University athletes Kimber Mattox (Jr., Bend, OR/Bend HS/Cornell Univ.) and Jaela Dinsmore (Jr., Hines, OR/Burns HS) have been named First Team Capital One Academic All-District VIII on the 2010-11 College Division Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

As First Team Academic All-District selections, Mattox and Dinsmore are now eligible for the Capital One College Division Academic All-America Team, which will be released on Thursday, June 23.

Mattox and Dinsmore received Academic All-District honors for the second year in a row. In 2009-10, Mattox was First Team Academic All-District VIII and Dinsmore was Second Team Academic All-District VIII.

First Team Capital One Academic All-District

Kimber Mattox, an Exercise Science major, achieved a 3.828 cumulative grade point average through the 2010 fall semester. She graduated this spring and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She completed junior eligibility during the 2011 track and field season after competing as a sophomore in cross country in the fall of 2010.

During the year, Mattox earned All-America honors in both sports by finishing 35th at the NCAA Division III National Championships in cross country and by taking second place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Championships in track and field. In 2009, Mattox achieved All-America status in track and field with a sixth placed finish in the steeplechase.

While at Willamette, she placed in the top 10 three times at the NCAA Championships in the steeplechase (6th in 2009, 9th in 2010, 2nd in 2011) and was in the top 12 twice in the 5,000-meter run (12th in 2009, 9th in 2011). She was selected as the West Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year in 2009 and 2011.

During the 2010 cross country season, Mattox not only earned All-America honors, but also won the Northwest Conference women's individual cross country title and placed seventh at the NCAA West Regional. She received All-West Region and First Team All-NWC recognition in cross country in 2009 and 2010.

This spring, Mattox registered NCAA qualifying times in three events. She was an automatic qualifier in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 1,500-meter run, and was a provisional qualifier in the 5,000-meter run. She did not compete at the NCAA Championships in the 1,500 in order to concentrate on the other two events.

At the 2011 NWC Track and Field Championships, Mattox won the 1,500-meter run, the 5,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She was chosen as the NWC Women's Track Athlete of the Meet for the second time (2009, 2001).

Mattox qualified for All-Academic recognition from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) during the 2009 and 2010 cross country seasons and the 2009, 2010 and 2111 seasons in track and field.

Jaela Dinsmore owned a 3.99 cumulative GPA through the 2010 fall semester. She is a double major in Latin American Studies and Spanish.

As a WU athlete, Dinsmore is a sprinter for the Bearcat women's track and field team. In 2011, she won the Northwest Conference title in the 400-meter dash in 57.50 seconds. She suffered an injury during the finals of the 200-meter dash, but still finished the race and took eight place after earning the top preliminary time of 25.93 seconds.

In 2010, Dinsmore was a member of Willamette's 4 x 400-meter relay team that won the NWC title in 4:01.88. She also helped WU win the NWC title in the 4 x 400-meter relay in 2009 with a time of 4:00.95. In addition, she helped the Bearcats take third place in the NWC in the 4 x 100-meter relay in 2009 and 2011.

Individually, she placed sixth in the NWC in 2010 in the 100-meter dash and was fourth in the 200-meter dash. In 2009, she finished fourth in the conference in the 200-meter dash and was fifth in the 400-meter dash.

Dinsmore's personal record times are 12.72 in the 100-meter dash, 25.88 seconds in the 200-meter dash and her winning time of 57.50 seconds in this year's 400-meter dash at the NWC Championships.

CoSIDA District VIII

CoSIDA District VIII includes colleges and universities in the western United States. Athletes nominated for the Capitol One Academic All-District Team were starters or key reserves with cumulative GPAs of 3.3 or higher (4.0 scale). Each athlete was at her current college or university for at least one academic year.

The College Division includes athletes in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA. Willamette is a member of NCAA Division III and competes in the Northwest Conference.