TOWSON, Md. – Missouri State senior Will Creekmore has been named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Tuesday (Feb. 22). Creekmore earned a spot on the Third Team as one of just 15 Division I men's basketball players to be recognized for excellence in the classroom and on the playing court.
Creekmore (C, Tulsa, Okla.) has started all 28 games this season for the 21-7 Bears of Coach Cuonzo Martin. He is second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game, while securing 6.5 rebounds per contest, also second on the club. His 57.3-percent field goal accuracy ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference.
With a 3.67 GPA in Finance, he has earned the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors six times this season and is a two-time MVC All-Academic Team selection.
He was also awarded the MVC State Farm Good Neighbor Award for the winter 2009-10 season, and was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in 2010, helping the Bears to the title with a double-figure scoring average and a 14-for-15 effort at the free throw line.
Creekmore is just the third MSU men's basketball player to earn Academic All-America honors, joining fellow second-teamer Chuck Williams (1971) and two-time honorable mention pick Anthony Boggs (1983-84). He is the only Missouri Valley Conference player on this year's Academic All-America team and the only player representing a Missouri program.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 15,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.CoSIDA.com
UNIVERSITY DIVISION
FIRST TEAM
Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Tim Abromaitis (1) Notre Dame V Gr. Unionville, Conn. 3.72 Finance/MBA
Devon Beitzel (3) Northern Colorado VII Sr. Lafayette, Col. 3.69 Finance & Accounting
Matt Howard (1),(2) Butler V Sr. Connersville, Ind. 3.77 Finance
Tyrell Reed Kansas VII Sr. Burlington, Kan. 3.65 Pre-Physical Therapy/Ex.Sci.
Tyler Zeller North Carolina III Jr. Washington, Ind. 3.56 Business Administration
SECOND TEAM
Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Nathan Hedgecock U.S. Military Academy I Sr. El Paso, Tex. 4.00 Mech. Engineering Management
Blake Hoffarber Minnesota V Sr. Minnetonka, Minn. 3.50 Finance
Levi Knutson Colorado VII Sr. Littleton, Col. 3.92 Business Administration
Garrett Leffelman Brown I Sr. Naperville, Ill. 3.89 Economics, Political Science
Jalin Thomas Central Michigan IV Sr. Columbus, Ohio 3.65 Sport Studies
THIRD TEAM
Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Riley Benock Mississippi State VI Sr. Battletown, Ky. 3.97 Kinesiology, Physical Educ.
Will Creekmore Missouri State VII Sr. Tulsa, Okla. 3.67 Finance
Scott Saunders Belmont IV Jr. New Orleans, La. 3.84 Finance
Drew Spradlin Elon III Jr. Wheelersburg, Ohio 3.65 Political Science
Chris Wroblewski Cornell I Jr. Highland Park, Ill. 3.61 App. Economics & Management
Capital One Academic All-America of the Year: Matt Howard, Butler
(1) Capital One Academic All-America first team selection in 2009-10
(2) Capital One Academic All-America second team selection in 2008-09
(3) Capital One Academic All-America third team selection in 2009-10
