Aug. 5, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Florida State University senior distance runner Susan Kuijken has been named the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year and leads the 40-person ACC All-Academic Team, as announced today by Commissioner John D. Swofford.

Kuijken, a sociology major from Nijmegen, Netherlands, is a member of the 2009 ACC Honor Roll and had a career year as a senior. The long-distance specialist earned All-ACC and All-America honors after winning the 5,000-meter run at the ACC Outdoor Championship and an NCAA title in the 1,500-meter run, helping Florida State win the women's ACC title and a fourth-place national finish at the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their career as well as earned a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.

In addition to Kuijken, Florida State placed a league-best eight track and field performers on the All-ACC Academic Women's Outdoor Track and Field team and was followed by North Carolina with seven selections. Georgia Tech ranked third with five student-athletes selected, while Clemson and Virginia Tech each had four. Duke, Miami, NC State, Virginia, and Wake Forest each had two selections apiece. Boston College (one selection) and Maryland (one) rounded out the field to include all 12 member institutions on the list.

Nine track and field student-athletes earned All-ACC Academic accolades for the second year in a row and a total of 13 performers appeared on the list for the second time overall. Five individuals made their third appearance since 2006.

Twenty All-ACC Academic student-athletes also earned All-ACC accolades 2009, including eight individuals that have garnered two All-ACC teams, and two more that have made three All-ACC teams.

To be considered for the All-ACC Academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 for the most recent semester and for their careers.