FROM STAFF REPORTS

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – University of Montevallo junior In-Mi Matsunaga, a member of the women’s cross country and women’s track and field teams, has been selected to participate in the NCAA Career in Sports Forum, which will be held June 8-11 at the association’s national headquarters.

The NCAA hosts the Career in Sports Forum annually. The four-day event brings together several hundred selected student-athletes to learn about careers in sports.

The chances of employment as a professional athlete are limited, however, there are many opportunities for careers as coaches, officials and administrators in intercollegiate athletics. The Career in Sports Forum works to dispel myths about careers in athletics, as well as, facilitate the opportunity to obtain industry trends and hot topics from current athletics professionals.

Matsunaga was selected to attend the Career in Sports Forum by current athletics administrators with representation from Division I, II, III and the NCAA national office.

Matsunaga’s selection comes after a season filled with academic and athletic accomplishments.

Matsunaga claimed the first ever Elite 15 Academic Award handed out by the Peach Belt Conference in women’s cross country during a ceremony Oct. 20 at the conference’s championship event.

Matsunaga, an accounting major from Enterprise, Ala., received the honor as the student-athlete with the most impressive academic profile of any women’s cross country runner in the Peach Belt Conference.

“In-Mi is the hardest worker on the team both in the classroom and on the course,” said Montevallo cross country coach Tommy Barksdale. “I think this award shows that she is the full compliment.”

Matsunaga has been named a Gold Scholar on the Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll during each of her first two seasons at Montevallo. Matsunaga was also named Academic All-District by CoSIDA, named to the All-Academic List by United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and named to the Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team as a junior. Matsunaga was also a finalist for the NCAA Elite 89 Award last season.