Nebraska Wesleyan University Cross Country and Track & Field athlete Brian Copley was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Men’s Track & Cross Country Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Copley was named to the Academic All-America® First-Team in the college division.

Copley (Syracuse, Neb.) graduated from NWU with a 4.00 GPA in History and Political Science. Copley was a standout in both cross country and track and field for the Prairie Wolves. He was a three-time All-GPAC performer in cross country and also earn All-Central Region twice. During his four-year career in cross country he competed at four straight NCAA III Championships. In track, Copley earned four All-GPAC honors during his senior season and was the conference runner-up in the 5,000 meters. For his career, he was a 12-time All-GPAC selection.

This marks the sixth straight year that a NWU male track/cross country athlete has been named an Academic All-American®. A total of 10 NWU athletes have earned 18 Academic All-America® awards for the men’s track/cross country program.

Nebraska Wesleyan University now has 107 Academic All-America® awards. NWU currently ranks tied for 13th, with The Ohio State University, among all schools at all levels of competition for its number of Academic All-Americans and has the most Academic All-America® awards in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).

Student-athletes must meet four criteria to earn ESPN the Magazine Academic All- America® honors: 1) must have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better, 2) must have at least two terms of attendance at the institution, 3) must be at least a sophomore in athletic eligibility, 4) must be a starter or key reserve in their respective sport.