LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Wesleyan University senior men's basketball player Cooper Cook has been honored as a CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 selection. The team was announced Thursday (Feb. 21) and Cook was one of five players to earn All-District honors in district 8 among NCAA Division III schools. This is the third straight season that Cook has earned CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition.
 
Cook now advances to the national ballot for CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition that will be announced on March 13.   Last season, was a 1^st-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American, the men's basketball Academic All-American of the Year and the DIII Male Academic All-American of the Year. He was a 2^nd-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2017.
 
Cook (Sr., Overland Park, Kan.) has a 3.97 GPA as an accounting major. This season Cook is averaging 15.4 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 7.2 per contest.  He has a team-high 68 made 3-pointers and also leads the team with 45 blocked shots.
 
He now ranks 4^th all-time in NWU school history with 1,746 career points.  His 291 made 3-pointers rank 3^rd on the all-time charts.  His 172 blocked shots are 57 more than any player in school history. 
 
A preseason NCAA Division III 3^rd-Team All-American, Cook is a two-time 1^st-Team All-Conference selection and was the 2017 IIAC MVP.  Last season he was named the MVP of the NCAA III Final Four leading the Prairie Wolves to their first National Championship. 
 
Joining Cook on the District 8 Academic All-District team were Austin Cole from California Lutheran, Jordan Gray of East Texas Baptist, Conor Riordan from Simpson and Daniel Rosenbaum of Pomona-Pitzer.
 
Student-athletes must meet four criteria to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors: 1) must have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better, 2) must have at least two terms of attendance at the institution, 3) must be at least a sophomore in athletic eligibility, 4) must be a starter or key reserve in their respective sport.
 
The All-District selection is determined by voting of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). District 8 is comprised of NCAA III schools in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska Wesleyan, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.