PAIR OF LIONS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-LONE STAR CONFERENCE SELECTIONS

COMMERCE, Texas -- A&M-Commerce sophomores Alex Kimp and Hank Smith were among the 11 student-athletes named to the men's track and field Academic All-Lone Star Conference team, announced today by league officials. The Lions were one of four teams to have multiple selections to the All-Academic team.

Kimp adds another accolade to his resume after being named to the cross country Academic All-LSC team back in the fall. During the spring track season, he has notched three top-10 finishes, highlighted by a fifth-place showing in the 10,000 meter run at the Oklahoma Baptist Open (34:27.43). He also placed seventh in the 1,500 meter run at the Lion Preseason Invitational (4:25.04) and the 5,000 meter run at the Hendrix Invitational (16:04.20).

Smith earns his first conference accolade after emerging as one of the Lions' top quarter-milers and hurdlers. He had recorded seven top-10 finishes on the year, including a first-place showing in the 400 meter hurdles at the Marc Randle Classic (56.16) while finishing seventh in the 200 meter dash. Smith also placed second in the 400 hurdles at the Oklahoma Baptist Open (56.00) with a fourth-place showing in the 400 meter dash at the Lion Preseason Invitational (50.60).

To be eligible for consideration, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore with a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher. Nominations are then voted on by the conference's sports information directors with the top-11 vote getters being named to the Academic All-Conference team.

Kimp, Smith and the rest of the Lions will have a little bit of home cooking this weekend, hosting the 2012 Lone Star Conference Championships at Memorial Stadium May 3-5. Each conference school will be represented by its best competitors, which gets underway with the heptathlon and decathlon Thursday afternoon, leading up to the running event finals Saturday evening. For more information on the 2012 LSC Championships, visit the Championship Central link.

2012 Men's Track and Field Academic All-Lone Star Conference Team

Clinton Bippert - Angelo State
Erik Forrister - Abilene Christian
Howard Gill - Incarnate Word
Dane Hamrick - West Texas A&M
Alex Kimp - A&M-Commerce
Adan Narvaez - Incarnate Word
Parker Petty - Abilene Christian
Dylan Riedesel - Texas A&M-Kingsville
Hank Smith - A&M-Commerce
Matthew Stark - Abilene Christian
Ethan West - Angelo State

Men's Track and Field Academic Player of the Year: Howard Gill - Incarnate Word