Nebraska Wesleyan University Track and Field athlete Derek Carson was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).  Carson was named to the Academic All-America® First-Team in the college division.  He was a second-team Academic All-America® selection in 2008.

Carson (Sr., Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Pius X H.S.) graduated from NWU with a 3.90 GPA in History.  He earned three NCAA Div. III All-American awards at the 2009 outdoor championship, including being a member of the national runner-up 4x100 meter relay. 

For his career he has five All-American awards and numerous All-Conference honors.  He put his track and field career on hold in 2005-06 while he served in Iraq.  Upon graduating in May, he began an internship with the state department.

Nebraska Wesleyan University now has 105 Academic All-America® awards.  NWU currently ranks tied for 12th, with The Ohio State University and the University of Florida, 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.