FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

May 21, 2009 - North Central College wrestler Ben Youel has been honored with a selection to the 2008-2009 College Division Academic All-District At-Large First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The CoSIDA At-Large Teams consist of athletes competing in women's bowling, women's crew, men's and women's fencing, women's field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's rifle, men's and women's skiiing, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's volleyball, men's and women's water polo, and wrestling across all levels of collegiate competition.

Youel was one of 10 athletes selected to the College Division District 5 First Team, which consists of NCAA Division II and Division III institutions, as well as NAIA and community college teams, in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.

Youel, who placed second in the 165-pound class at the NCAA Division III National Championships in March to earn All-America honors for the second straight year, is a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America selection and a four-time Academic All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin honoree. He has been North Central's Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference selection for each of the past three winter sports seasons, and was recently awarded with a NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship.

As a member of the All-District First Team, Youel is eligible for consideration for the CoSIDA At-Large All-American Team, which will be released in June.

More information on the Academic All-America process can be found at www.cosida.com.