Athletics News Releases

Bladt, King named to academic all-district football first team; Dudgeon second team in volleyball

MOUNT VERNON - Cornell College landed three student-athletes on ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-District teams for the 2009 fall season.

Senior safety Don Bladt (Shelby/AHST) and senior linebacker Brian King (West Des Moines Valley) are both first team selections on the All-District VII College Division Football Team. Those chosen on the first team are placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. The Academic All-America Teams will be released Nov. 24.

Bladt and King, who both garnered second team academic honors in 2008, are the Iowa Conference's only two football selections on this year's first team. The IIAC had five players represented on the second team.

Senior middle hitter Laura Dudgeon (Bettendorf/Bettendorf) was tabbed to the second team in the District VII College Division for volleyball. She is the only volleyball player from the IIAC recognized on the first, second or third teams.

Bladt is a chemistry major with a 3.61 GPA. Also a member of the academic all-IIAC team the past two years, Bladt has started all 38 games during his four-year career. He leads the conference with five interceptions and ranks ninth in tackles with 67. Bladt has totaled a team-high 608 all-purpose yards this season, including 443 on kick returns.

King is majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology and carries a 3.76 GPA. He is also a two-time academic all-IIAC performer. King, a fourth-year letterwinner, ranks second on the team with 61 tackles. He has a team-best 35 assisted tackles and four stops for losses.

Dudgeon is a kinesiology major with a 3.75 GPA. Also a two-time academic all-IIAC recipient, Dudgeon leads the conference in hitting percentage (.356) and kills per set (3.72). She is the school's career leader with 1,382 kills. Dudgeon is a four-year starter.

The all-district teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA). To be eligible for consideration, a player must be a starter or important reserve, have completed one full calendar at the nominating institution and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or better. The college division includes NCAA Division II and III, NAIA and two-year institutions.

A complete list of the academic all-district teams can be viewed by clicking here.