The College of New Jersey’s senior track student-athlete Matt Molski was named to the 2005 CoSIDA-ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Cross Country-Track National First Team on June 21. A repeat honor for the Lions’ track star, Molski was a second team honoree as a junior in 2004.

Named the recipient of the 2004-05 Dr. Harold W. Eickhoff Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete Award at TCNJ, Molski has an extensive list of accomplishments both in the classroom and on the track during his career at TCNJ. He recently graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors.

Molski, a four-time TCNJ scholar-Athlete honoree and a 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-American, is a chemistry major at the College with a 3.89 GPA. He earned All-America honors in 2004 at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the distance medley relay, taking eighth place in 10:09.27. He is also part of TCNJ’s school record in the indoor distance medley relay team (9:58.85). He also holds TCNJ’s indoor record in the one mile (4:13.59), and he helped the 2003 and 2005 TCNJ teams capture indoor titles at the ECAC Championship meets.  At the 2004 NJAC Outdoor Championships, he won the 800 meter run. He is part of the Lions’ outdoor school record foursome in the distance medley relay (10:02.26), a time they posted at the 2004 Penn Relays. He won the 2004 NJAC Indoor championship in the 1,500 meter and was part of a first place 4x800 meter relay team. 

As a senior in cross country this past fall, he was the NJAC’s Male Runner of the Year after winning the NJAC Championship in 25:42.20. Also cited during the fall with a selection as the ECAC’s Division III Male Runner of the Week, Molski competed at the 2004 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, picking up 93^rd place in 26:26.8 to help the Lions finish in 18^th place as a team at the event.

This past winter while competing at the 2005 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, he picked up All-America honors as well with an eighth place finish in the one mile run with a time of 4:20.69. Earlier this year, he shattered his own school record in the event after posting a time of 4:09.71 in the event to earn his spot at the NCAA’s. During his scholastic career at TCNJ, the Lions have won four NJAC Cross Country Championships, four NJAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, and four NJAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In addition, TCNJ has also won three ECAC Division III Indoor Track Championships during his tenure. Molski, who won the 2005 NJAC Championship in the 800 meter run (1:56.86), helped TCNJ’s men win the team crown as well.

To be nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.2 cumulative grade-point-average and starter or significant reserve on their team. TCNJ has now had 46 Academic All-Americans since the program was started 52 years ago.