For the second year in a row, a Long Beach State track and field member has been selected to the first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 8.
Distance runner Jimmy Grabow, class of 2006, received the honor June 20 for his outstanding performance in the classroom and on the field, marking the fourth time a 49er track and field member has garnered such recognition.
In his two year student-athlete career at LBSU, Grabow maintained a 4.0 GPA as a history major, while at the same time managing to obtain three all-conference certificates, and finish with five top-10 marks including three school records.
“Jimmy is a stellar athlete and perfect as far as student-athletes go,” said track and field head coach Andy Sythe. “He was a real leader not by what he said but by what he did.”
Grabow was part of the 49er cross country team that finished 10th in the 2005 regionals and part of the track and field team that won the Big West Conference Title in 2006, the team’s first in 30 years.
Grabow, who participated in indoor, outdoor and cross country, set the record in the best outdoor 10,000-meter time in LBSU history. He also added a page to the record book with the fastest 3,000 and 5,000-meter time during the indoor season. Also, in cross country, Grabow had the eight-fastest outdoor 5,000-meter time and the second-fastest 8K.
“He played a role in the track team winning the Big West Conference,” Sythe said on the contribution of Grabow to the track and field team success. “He is one of the hardest working student-athletes and that’s why he got selected. It’s really a great honor,” Sythe said.
Other 49er track and field athletes who have earned the honor are: James Feriera (3rd team, 1987), Johann Appell (2nd team 1999, 1st team 2000) and Steve Holland (2nd team 2004, 1st team 2005).