LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Senior Ben McConnell (Danville, Pa./Danville) of the Lock Haven University men’s track & field team has earned a prestigious 2008-09 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Winter Top 10 Award for his excellence, both on the indoor track and in the classroom.

McConnell, a Health and Physical Education major highlighted his senior campaign with two NCAA All-American performances at the 2009 D-II Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Houston.

McConnell was part of The Haven’s All-American Distance Medley and 4x400 meter relays teams.

The two All-American performances ran his career total to three.

He was also the 2009 PSAC Indoor Conference Champion at 800 meters.

McConnell is a five-time PSAC Champion and a 10-time All-PSAC performer.

Most recently, he was also awarded the 2009 Golden Whistle Award, which is selected by the LHU Health and Physical Education faculty based on a teaching candidate’s future potential in the field.

McConnell is a three-time United States Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association All-American award winner.

The PSAC Top 10 Awards, which are selected by the PSAC’s sports information directors, recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in the area of competition. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are in their 12th season of existence, having been initiated in the 1997-98 academic year.

The Top 10 Awards recognize 10 outstanding student-athletes, five male and five female, for each athletic season: fall, winter and spring. The Winter 2008-09 Top 10 Award winners are Chris Bach of East Stroudsburg, Pawel Glowiak of IUP, Kyle Goldcamp of Gannon, Jarrod King of Edinboro and Ben McConnell of Lock Haven on the men’s side, Lauren Beckley and Mary Dell of Shippensburg, Jennifer Harpp of Slippery Rock, Erin Richard of Clarion and Jackie Yandrisevits of East Stroudsburg on the women’s side. Bach, Beckley and Glowiak are repeat winners of the Winter Top 10 Award, with all three having been Top 10 award winners last year as well.

To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective team. The winter sports eligible for consideration for the Winter Top 10 Awards are men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s indoor track & field and wrestling. At the end of the academic year, all Top 10 Award winners from the entire academic year are eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, given to one male and one female candidate at the end of the academic year.