Girardi, VanMarter and Kainer Named Academic All-American
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Seniors Peter Girardi and Mark VanMarter of the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's track and field team and Stevens Institute of Technology junior Alex Kainer continued to receive recognition on Tuesday as the trio was named Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
A six-time All-American on the track, Girardi, who was named First-Team Academic All-American, joined an elite list as the Cicero native became just the third national champion in the College's history after winning the 400 meter hurdles at the 2018 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship last weekend in La Crosse, Wis. Girardi, who had finished as the national runner-up in the same event in each of the two previous seasons, shattered his program record after crossing the finish line with a winning time of 50.50. His mark was the fifth-fastest time ever recorded in the event in Division III history and qualified the senior for the upcoming US National Meet.
A biology major, Girardi played a significant role in helping lead Fisher to a pair of championships this season as the Cardinals won the both the Empire 8 Indoor and Outdoor titles with Girardi being named the Track Athlete of the Meet in each.
One of the most decorated athletes to ever don the Cardinals and Gold, Girardi closed out his career having been named the Empire 8 Track Athlete of the Year three times and was named All-Conference nine times in total.
Also a biology major, VanMarter, who was named the Empire 8 Senior Scholar of the Year, also had a season for the ages after the Liverpool native claimed what was at the time just the second national championship in school history with a win in the long jump at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship in March.
A three-time All-American in field events, VanMarter continually rewrote the Fisher record book and graduated with his name beside four program records in all. A 10-time Empire 8 All-Conference recipient, VanMarter, like Girardi, was at his best when the lights were brightest as he helped lead Fisher to a pair of championships in 2018 and was a big reason that the Cardinals finished tied for seventh at the NCAA Championship in May – the team's best finish in team history.
VanMarter, who was named Second-Team Academic All-American by COSIDA, was named Field Athlete of the Year in each of the last two seasons and earned the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year award in 2015.
Kainer, who was named Third-Team Academic All-American, owns a 3.89 GPA in mechanical engineering and was the first-ever All-American for the Stevens men's track & field program.
He earned the first All-American award in the over 100-year history of the Stevens men's track & field program by taking fifth in the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Indoor Championships. His four points earned allowed the team to take 50th at the national meet, the first time the team had ever placed.
He won two Empire 8 titles (60-meters and 200-meters) during the indoor season and two more in the outdoor season (100 and 200) while being named Empire 8 Track Athlete of the Year. He also won first place as a member of the 4x100 relay team.