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

June 10, 2009 - North Central College wrestler Ben Youel has been honored with a selection to the 2008-2009 College Division Academic All-America 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 15 student-athletes selected to the College Division All-America Team, which consists of NCAA Division II and Division III institutions, as well as NAIA, community college, and Canadian teams. He was one of four wrestlers on the first team, which included representatives from five other sports as well.

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.

He became eligible for the All-America Team after being named to the All-District Five First Team last month. District Five consists of institutions in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.

More information on the Academic All-America process, as well as the full list of Academic All-Americans, can be found at www.cosida.com.