Walker Earns CoSIDA Academic All-District Honor
June 3, 2004
SEATTLE - Former Husky Brad Walker, who completed his collegiate career in March with a second-consecutive NCAA indoor pole vault title, was one of 10 West Region men's athletes named Thursday to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII first-team. The honor, voted on by collegiate sports information directors in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana, puts Walker on the ballot for Academic All-America consideration, results of which will be announced June 22.
A graduate of Spokane's University High, Walker boasts a 3.50 grade-point average in business administration at Washington, with an emphasis in accounting. The college senior earned first-team Academic All-America honors a year ago, and was the UW's Pac-10 Medal winner for outstanding achievements in athletics and academics in 2003.
Since exhausting his eligibility with an Olympic Trials-qualifying clearance of 18 feet, 8 1/2 inches in his win at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships, Walker has soared to No. 2 in the world rankings, while competing professionally at meets throughout the U.S. and Europe. At May's Sky Athletics Invite, the four-time All-American became just the second U.S. vaulter over 19 feet in 2004 with a clearance of 19 feet, 1 inch, second only to Stanford grad Toby Stevenson in the 2004 IAAF World Rankings.
Already an Olympic Trials qualifier, Walker needs to finish in the top three at July's U.S. Olympic Trials to earn a bid to Athens. The two-time NCAA and Pac-10 champion has competed against the nation's best on six occasions this year, and has placed third or better in four of those six competitions.
Walker won his first national title at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2003, clearing a Pac-10 record height of 19-feet, 0 1/4 inch, more than nine inches beyond his nearest competitor and equaling the sixth-best vault in NCAA history. The Spokane native was named MONDO's West District Track and Field Athlete of the Year, and earned Student-Athlete of the Year honors at the University of Washington's annual year-end awards banquet.
2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Men's Track and Field Team (Univ. Division) Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major Ryan Andrus Oregon Jr. Orem, Utah 3.94 Business Evan Garich Portland St. Sr. Klamath Falls, Ore. 3.72 Engineering Tim Gehring Wash. State Sr. Kettle Falls, Wash. 3.63 Accounting Steve Holland Long Beach St. So. Whittier, Calif. 4.00 Accounting Gabriel LeMay Oregon Sr. Yoncalla, Ore. 3.77 Biology Cody Moat Southern Utah Sr. Duchesne, Utah 3.77 Technical Education Chad Simkins Brigham Young Sr. Marysville, Wash. 3.84 Accounting Adam Tenforde Stanford Sr. Richland, Wash. 3.88 Human Biology Brad Walker Washington Sr. Spokane, Wash. 3.50 Accounting Trevor Woods Oregon Sr. Coos Bay, Ore. 3.74 Business
