June 28, 2004

Recently named to the District III Academic All-American team for women’s track and field, South Carolina junior Jenny Lake was named to the GTE Academic All-American First Team nationally today. She is the first-ever Gamecock female track and field athlete to receive this honor.

The last track and field athletes to receive this honor – both being named to the First Team nationally – were Mattias Ohlsson in 1997-98 and Keith Hall in 1998-99. Senior Chris Steddum was named to the national second team list last week.

Lake, a distance runner on USC’s track and field team, carries a perfect 4.0 GPA into her senior year – she has been a member of the President’s List six straight semesters. That means she has received a 4.0 EVERY semester she has been at USC. She is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll; and a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the McNair Scholars Association. She volunteers with Team Gamecocks as well.

Lake, a three-time Academic All-American in cross country, qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Regional Championships by running a 16:49.43 in the 5000m – the second fastest time in school history. She is the school record holder in the 3000m.

During the 2003 cross country season, Lake ran to a seventh place finish with a 6-K time of 22:13 at the SEC Cross Country Championships held in Athens, Ga. Lake’s seventh place finish is the best finish ever by a Gamecock runner at the SEC Championships and earned her first team All-SEC.

She is a native of Geneseo, Illinois.