Denison University senior Elaine Binkley (Upper Arlington/Bishop Watterson H.S.) was named the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America of the Year for the College Division in Cross Country and Track and Field as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Binkley earned the most votes out of a select group of student athletes who were awarded first-team Academic All- District honors and advanced to the national ballot. The award moves Binkley on to the circle of the nation's elite student athletes where she will have an opportunity to be named the overall Academic All-America of the Year. Previous winners of the CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year include Rebecca Lobo (Connecticut), Peyton Manning (Tennessee), Ruth Riley (Notre Dame) and Emeka Okafor (Connecticut). The results of the final balloting will be announced in mid-July.

Athletes are eligible for Academic All-America status only during their sophomore, junior and senior seasons and Binkley is the first Denison athlete to be named to the Academic All- America first-team squad in all three of her eligible seasons.

"Elaine has enjoyed a spectacular career at Denison," stated Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation Larry Scheiderer. "Her dedication in the classroom, to her teammates and to her sport exemplifies all of the traits we look for in a student. The Academic All-America of the Year award is well deserved and we wish her nothing but the best as she embarks on her life after Denison."

A biology major from Upper Arlington, Binkley carried a 4.0 grade point average and was the co-valedictorian of the Class of 2007. She received the Presidential Medal which is the highest honor bestowed upon a Denison student. She was inducted into the Denison chapter of Phi Beta Kappa as a junior and was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.

In the fall, Binkley became the 42nd athlete from Denison to earn the esteemed NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. She has been accepted to The Ohio State University School of Medicine and will begin her graduate work in the fall of 2007.

Binkley was a two-time All-American in cross-country and a 12-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection in cross- country and track and field. She captured four conference championships in track and field and was the NCAC's Most Outstanding Distance Runner in 2004.

Created in 1952 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Teams Program is the premier, nationwide college scholar- athlete awards program. It recognizes over 800 outstanding student-athletes annually in Division I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.