ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – University of New Mexico skier Christian Otto and men’s tennis player Samir Iftikhar have been named to the 2014-15 Capital One/CoSIDA At-Large All-District Team as announced by the organization on Thursday. Both Lobo student-athletes will advance to the national ballot and vie for Academic All-American honors.
Otto’s and Iftikhar’s honors account for UNM’s 12th and 13th Capital One Academic All-District selections this year. This is the first Academic All-District honor for both Otto and Ifitkhar.
The teams were made up of eligible athletes (3.3 or higher, sophomore and no first year students/transfers) from the following sports: Swimming and Diving, Ice Hockey, Water Polo, Golf, Crew, Women’s Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Men’s Volleyball, Lacrosse, Bowling, Rifle, Men’s Wrestling and Fencing. District VII made up all Division I schools in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
Otto and Iftikhar are two of ten student-athletes named to the Academic All-District team for District VII. The two Lobos earned a slot on the team due to their standout athletic and academic performances this season.
Christian Otto, a graduate student from Waltersdorf, Germany, completed his Masters of Business Administration with a 4.04 GPA.
Otto’s student-athlete career highlights: Had 2 top 10 finishes and 8 top 20 finishes; Second on Nordic with 171 points (score counted in 10 of his 11 races); A four-time NCAA qualifier; Four-time Lobo Scholar-Athlete; Four-time RMISA All-Academic; Named to UNM’s All-Academic Team for 2015; Was a late addition to NCAAs in 2015 after an injury and responded to finish 13th in skate and 14th in classical; Two-time National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team member.
Samir Iftikhar, a graduate student from Bookham, United Kingdom, also earned his Masters of Business Administration from UNM finishing with a 4.00 GPA. Iftikhar earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy as well as his MBA in only four years.
Iftikhar’s student-athlete career highlights: Played at No. 1 & No. 2 singles for the Lobos; Three-time All-MW singles honoree; All-MW doubles honoree; UNM team co-captain; Three-time Mountain West All-Academic and two-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete; Two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete; named to 2015 UNM All-Academic Team; First Lobo men’s tennis place to reach the round of 16 at the ITA All-American Championships; Led UNM to first conference title in seven years; Earned a career-high national singles ranking of No. 33; Qualified for this year’s NCAA Individual Championships taking place May 20-25 in Waco, Texas.
Captial One Academic All-American honors will be announced on June 11.