Nebraska Wesleyan sprinter Gordie Coffin (So., Osceola, Neb., Osceola High School) today became the 56th student-athlete in school history to be named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Team as selected by CoSIDA.

Coffin was named to the College Division Third Team for men’s track and cross country with a 3.94 Grade Point Average (4.00 scale). He majors in Communication Studies, and was one of only three sophomores selected to the teams, which are traditionally dominated by juniors and seniors. There were more than 300 nominees from the eight CoSIDA districts for the college division men’s track/cross country teams.

Last month, Coffin ran the leadoff leg for NWU’s national runner-up 4x100-meter relay, which broke the school record at the 2005 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in both the prelims and again in the finals (40.47). He helped the NWU men to their first No. 1 finish in the national power rankings for Div. III and contributed to one automatic and two provisional times with three different relay combinations in the 4x100. Coffin was also a member of the winning 4x100 and placed third in 200 (21.92) at the Great Plains Athletic Conference Championships on May 7.

In just two years, Coffin is already a 10-time All-Conference track performer and a two-time GPAC Champion. He has scored points in every conference event he has run during his first two collegiate seasons (55 and 200 indoor; 100, 200 and 4x100 outdoor). He is also president for NWU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Nebraska Wesleyan University ranks among the all-time leaders in the entire nation, regardless of college division (NCAA I, II, III and NAIA), with 56 student-athletes, who have won 86 Academic All-America awards between them.