ASHLAND – Southern Oregon distance runners Eric Ghelfi (Redding, Calif./Redding Adventist Academy) and Alexandra Rudd (North Bend, Wash./Mount Si) are now Academic All-Americans, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced this week.

The Capital One College Division Academic All-America men's and women's track and field/cross country teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions.

After previously being voted onto their respective All-District 4 Academic teams, Ghelfi was one of 48 men and Rudd one of 46 women in the NAIA who were eligible for the national honor, which recognizes student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Both were among 10 individuals to be selected to the second team.

Ghelfi, a senior-to-be from Redding, Calif., is a psychology major with a 3.89 GPA. He was an All American twice this school year – first for placing 20^th at the NAIA Cross Country Championships during the fall, then for taking eighth in the 10,000-meter race last week at the NAIA Track and Field Championships. He also won his first Cascade Conference title in the 10K.

Rudd was SOU's top women's finisher at the NAIA Cross Country Championships in 49^th, and this spring claimed fifth place in the 10,000-meter race and sixth in the 5K at the Cascade Conference Championships. The senior from North Bend, Wash., has a 3.82 GPA with a focus in communications.