MACON, Ga. – The Atlantic Sun Conference released its annual men’s cross country academic awards, on Thursday November 10, with senior Jaakko Nieminen, a senior international business major earning honors.

Nieminen, a native of Jyvaskyla, Finland maintained a 3.57 GPA in the Coles College of Business with ambitions of pursuing a career in international trade.

“It is great to be honored for academics,” Nieminen said. “My focus has always been to strive for academic excellence, along with a great running career here at Kennesaw State.”

Nieminen excelled both in the classroom and on the field as he was named to the A-Sun All Conference Team after his third place performance at the A-Sun Championship. He posted a time of 25:12.32 en route to helping lead the Owls to a second place finish. Jaakko also recorded a 15th place finish at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with an 8k time of 25:32.96 and an eighth place performance at the Georgia State Invitational with a time of 26:17.

"Jaakko is a world class student-athlete and has had a great season in the classroom and on the cross country courses," head coach Stan Sims said. "He puts a lot of effort into both his studies and his running and I couldn't be happier for him to win this award."

The senior competed in five of the six events for the Owls and posted his best time at the conference championship in Nashville, Tenn. Nieminen and the rest of the men’s cross country team are set to travel back to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to compete in the NCAA Regionals on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Harry Pritchett Running Park. For updates on the team, you can follow them on Twitter @KSUTrack&FieldXC.

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Gilbert Kemboi, USC Upstate

Individual	School	GPA	Class	Home town	Academic Major
* Gilbert Kemboi	USC Upstate	3.41	Jr.	Eldoret, Kenya	Nursing
* Jacob Law	Mercer	3.89	Jr.	Crestwood, Ky.	Mechanical Engineering
* Argeo Cruz	FGCU	3.59	So.	Immokalee, Fla.	Civil Engineering
Geoff Musick	Lipscomb	3.94	Jr.	Nashville, Tenn.	Biochemistry
Isaiah Greer	Liscomb	3.62	Jr.	Johnson City, Tenn.	Mathmatical Engineering
Matt Miller	Belmont	3.36	Jr.	LaPorte, Ind.	History
Jaakko Nieminen	Kennesaw State	3.57	Sr.	Jyvaskyla, Finland	Business

* Unanimous Choice