Liermann, McAllister named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of the Year

By Concordia University, Nebraska on Jun. 24, 2019 in Track & Field

CoSIDA Release

SEWARD, Neb. – Now Concordia graduates, Samantha Liermann and Josiah McAllister have earned the highest of honors awarded by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The organization announced on Monday (June 24) that Liermann has been named the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for NAIA women’s track and field and McAllister has been tabbed the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for NAIA men’s track and field. Liermann took home the same award in 2018.

The CoSIDA Academic All-America® Men’s and Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Teams have been released to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. For more information about the Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit http://cosida.com.

Liermann captured the third NAIA shot put national title of her career this past May. A native of Wisner, Neb., Liermann has piled up three Academic All-District awards, three Academic All-America awards and has been named the recipient of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 Google Cloud Academic All-America® of the Year honor for track and field. Not only a three-time national champ, Liermann has also earned 10 career All-America honors, four GPAC titles, 14 all-conference awards and two NAIA shot put national runner up claims. She was a member of the 2016 Concordia squad that won the NAIA outdoor national title. Liermann is the school record holder in the indoor and outdoor shot put.

A 2019 graduate like Liermann, McAllister made six trips to national championship meets and raked in three All-America awards during his four-year career as a Bulldog. A CoSIDA Academic All-America choice last year, McAllister starred for the 2017 men’s 4x400 meter relay that won a GPAC title and then two years later raced to a 2019 GPAC indoor title in the 1,000 meters. As a senior, McAllister helped 4x400 meter relays to All-America honors in both indoor and outdoor.

While at Concordia, Liermann studied recreation and sport studies and business administration. Meanwhile, McAllister earned a degree in biology (minor in chemistry) as part of a pre-medicine track.

As All-America of the Year choices, Liermann and McAllister are automatically placed on the ballot for consideration for the 2018-19 overall Academic All-America Team Member of the Year across all 12 CoSIDA All-America sport programs within the NAIA.

Concordia 2018-19 Academic All-All-District® Honorees
Lindsey Carley, Women’s Soccer
*Maria Deeter, Women’s Soccer
Philly Lammers, Women’s Basketball
*Samantha Liermann, Track & Field
*Josiah McAllister, Track & Field
Tanner Shuck, Men’s Basketball
Zac Walter, Football
Luke Zoller, Men’s Tennis
*CoSIDA Academic All-American