EUGENE, Ore. -- (Nov. 3, 2010) -- University of Oregon President Richard Lariviere and Director of Athletics Rob Mullens will recognize the university's four most recent national Academic All-Americans at a ceremony at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at the John E Jaqua Center.

The four scholar-athletes to be recognized are: Nicole Blood, women's track & field/cross country; Jack Dukeminier, men's golf; Cyrus Hostetler, men's track & field; and Alex Wolff, men's track & field.

"Recognizing the academic achievements of these students is an honor," said Lariviere. "We are celebrating Nicole, Jack, Cyrus and Alex for their exceptional performances on and off the fields of play. They are wonderful representatives of the University of Oregon."

The name of each of Oregon's previous Academic All-Americans is etched on the wood floor on the first floor of the Jaqua Center. The four honorees from spring 2010 bring Oregon's all-time total of national Academic All-America awards to 72.

Nicole Blood, the 2010 Pac-10 champion at both 5,000 and 10,000 meters, is a three-time Academic All-American. The career nine-time All-American on the track was a second team Academic All-America selection as a senior in 2010 for her 3.47 grade point average in journalism. The Saratoga Springs, N.Y., native joins Kathy Hayes (1983-85) as the only women's track and field student-athletes in UO history to earn All-America honors in both the classroom and on the track three years in a row.

Jack Dukeminier became the first men's golfer in UO history to earn Academic All-America honors when he was named to the 2010 Men's At-Large third team in the spring. The Eugene, Ore., native currently carries a 4.04 cumulative grade point average as an economics major. Dukeminier was also the recipient of the 2010 NCAA Elite 88 award for men's golf at the NCAA Championships where he helped lead the Ducks to their highest finish ever.

Two-time NCAA All-American and 2008 Olympic Trials competitor Cyrus Hostetler earned his first career Academic All-America award with a 3.62 grade point average in art. The Newberg, Ore., native was a national first team Academic All-America selection and led the nation with a throw of 256-6 in the javelin.

Alex Wolff, graduate student from Newberg, Ore., with a 3.76 GPA in human physiology, was a second team Academic All-America selection. He was an NCAA championships qualifier for the third straight year and finished fourth in the javelin at the 2010 Pac-10 championships during his fifth season. Wolff will return to the Ducks as a rare sixth-year senior in 2011.

The ceremony follows closely to last week's announcements about student-athlete graduation rate improvement at the UO. The graduation rates of student-athletes at the UO increased by 9 percent for the most recent class measured by the NCAA. The UO freshman class of 2003-04 posted a 74 percent federal graduation rate for all student-athletes, compared with 70 percent for the university's general student population, according to a recently released report. The previous year's freshman class had a 65 percent graduation rate for student-athletes and a 66 percent rate for the entire student body.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Julie Brown, UO media relations, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu; Greg Walker, UO athletics media relations, 541-346-2252, gswalker@uoregon.edu

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