June 2, 2011

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By Miquel Jacobs
Media Relations Assistant

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina track and field team placed two members on the Capitol One Academic All-District III First Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Thursday. Senior Michael Zajac and junior Marvin Reitze both earned first team bids as the Gamecocks are tied for the SEC lead and are tied for 10th in the nation for most first team selections to the award given for academic and athletic excellence.

To be eligible for Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must old at least a 3.3 grade point average and be a sophomore in academic and athletic standing. The bid is the first for both Zajac and Reitze and marks the third consecutive year that South Carolina has had a first team selection.

Zajac (Lynchburg, Va.) is a four-time All-American with three citations in the weight throw and one in the hammer throw. He is a two-time SEC silver medalist and the 2011 SEC bronze medalist in the weight throw, making him the only Gamecock to medal in the weight throw three times in a career at the SEC meet. With 46 career points in SEC competition, Zajac holds the distinction as only one of two Gamecocks to score in the weight throw all four years that he has competed at the SEC Indoor Championships, and he is also one of two to score in the hammer throw all four years that he has competed at the SEC Outdoor Championships. In his career, Zajac has earned USTFCCCA All-Academic team honors in addition to SEC Academic Honor Roll mentions He is a 2011 SEC Brad Davis Community Service Award candidate and was named to the SEC Community Service team.

Reitze (Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany) is an All-American in the pole vault and three-time SEC bronze medalist as a junior. He is currently second in the Gamecock record book with a top clearance of 17’8 ½ (5.40m) despite missing time due to injuries in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He has qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in every year of his eligibility and was the 2009 NCAA East Region silver medalist. His academic honors include being a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic team selection and SEC All-Academic Team selection.

Both athletes will compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships next week in Des Moines, Iowa.