June 17, 2003

AMHERST, Mass. -- University of Massachusetts senior sprinter Kwesi Frimpong-Boateng (Accra, Ghana) has been named to the 2002-03 Verizon Academic All-America University Division men's cross country and track team announced today. He earned second team honors, and in the process, became the fourth UMass student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors in 2002-03, and the 23rd in school history.

One of UMass' top sprinters ever, Frimpong-Boateng was the 2003 Atlantic 10 Outdoor Men's Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Year and Masschusetts' Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2003 spring sports season. The 3.553 student in microbiology received his degree from UMass, May 25, and was named to three academic All-Conference honor squads during his Minuteman career in addition to be tabbed as the 2002 A-10 Indoor Men's Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Year. Frimpong-Boateng was also a two-time member of the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and was named to the UMass Athletic Director's Honor Roll every semester during his standout career.

The Most Outstanding Track Performer at the 2003 A-10 Championships, Frimpong-Boateng won eight consecutive 100-meter races from April 4 through until that streak ended in the prelims of the 2003 NCAA Eastern Regional. Included in that streak were gold medal efforts in the 100m at the A-10, New England and IC4A meets.

At the 2003 A-10 Outdoor Championships last month in Richmond, Va., Frimpong-Boateng won both the 100- and 200-meter dashes in UMass and school record times of 10.30 and 20.90, respectively. He is a five-time Atlantic 10 gold medalist and holds three UMass school records.

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) selects Verizon Academic All-America® teams in 12 programs: football, women's volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's track & field/cross country, women's track & field/cross country, men's at-large and women's at-large. A first team, second team and third team are selected in both the University (Division I and I-AA) and College (Division II, III and NAIA) Divisions. Football consists of just first and second teams.