Morningside’s Garret Ehlers and Kyle Kinney have been named Capital One Academic All-Americans.

Garret Ehlers, a senior from Ida Grove, Iowa, was named to the first team of the 2013-2014 Capital One Academic All-America College Division Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

In addition to Ehlers, the Mustangs’ Kyle Kinney, a senior from Sioux City, was named to the Academic All-America Second Team.

Ehlers has a 3.66 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in religious studies. He was a second-team Academic All-American as a junior.

Kinney has a 3.90 cumulative GPA with majors in biology and chemistry.

Ehlers finished third in the 3000-meter steeplechase at this year’s NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships to earn All-America honors in the event for the third time in his career. He was the NAIA national runner-up in the steeplechase as a junior. Aside from his exploits in the steeplechase, Ehlers finished 26th at this past season’s NAIA Cross Country National Championship to become Morningside’s first-ever NAIA men’s cross country All-American. Ehlers was this year’s Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) nominee for the NAIA’s Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character award. He was a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete in both track and cross country.

Kinney, a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, ran the leadoff leg to help lead the Mustangs to a seventh place finish in the 400-meter relay at this year’s GPAC Outdoor Championships. He is a member of Morningside’s chapters of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) national leadership honor society, Phi Eta Sigma national freshman honor society, and Beta Beta Beta biological honor society. Kinney received Morningside’s Outstanding Chemistry Student of the Year award at this year’s ODK Honors Assembly.

Morningside’s men’s and women’s track & field and cross country teams have produced 15 Academic All-Americans over the last six years.

Student-athletes must be of at least sophomore academic status, be a starter or significant reserve, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher to be eligible for Capital One Academic honors.

Click here for the complete 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-America College Division Track & Field/Cross Country Team.