June 23, 2009

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: - Junior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine All-America Track and Field Team, announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The award is the first ESPN The Magazine citation for the junior, who recently earned All-America honors on the track with a fourth-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Franek, a six-time NCAA All-American, was awarded third team honors by CoSIDA.

Franek's selection marks a school record 11th Academic All-American this year, six of which were named to the first team. All told, Penn State has totaled 146 Academic All-America selections, which ranks fourth among all NCAA institutions. Additionally, Penn State has had 102 honorees during the 15-plus year tenure of current Director of Athletics Tim Curley.

A kinesiology major from Hiram, Ohio, Franek has ripped through the Penn State record books in her first three years as a Nittany Lion, as she currently holds school standards in the indoor mile run, 3,000-meters, and distance medley relay, and outdoor records in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 4x1500-meter relay. At the conference level, Franek posted third-place efforts in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter indoors, before grabbing runner-up honors in the steeplechase and a bronze-medal finish in the 5,000 outdoors.

Nationally, the junior claimed fourth place in the 5,000 at the NCAA Indoor Championships, before recording her second-straight top four finish in the steeplechase. Among her many citations, Franek was named Mid-Atlantic Track Athlete of the Year during the indoor season, and has been a Big Ten All-Academic selection in both cross country and track and field during both her sophomore and junior years.

Franek's season is still in full swing, as she is set to compete in the steeplechase at the USATF Championships, set for June 25-28 in Eugene, Oregon.