baer, torphy earn district academic honors

Muhlenberg rising senior Michael Baer and recent graduate Bobby Torphy were named to the Capital One Academic All-District II College Division men’s track & field/cross country team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Both were first-team selections and will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

A biochemistry major and history minor, Baer (left) was an Academic All-District second-team pick last year. The Mules’ top multi athlete, he placed fourth in the decathlon at the 2011 Centennial Conference Outdoor Championships, a one-place improvement from last year. Baer won a gold medal with the 4x400-meter relay team at the CC indoor meet and also placed fourth in the high jump, fifth in the 55-meter hurdles (indoors) and eighth in the 110-meter hurdles (outdoors).

On Muhlenberg’s all-time performance lists, Baer ranks fourth in the decathlon and eighth in the 55 hurdles. A Phi Beta Kappa member, he has done independent study and research in molecular genetics the last three semesters and had an internship in autopsy pathology last summer.

Torphy (right) was one of the valedictorians of the Class of 2011. He graduated summa cum laude with a major in biochemistry and is headed to medical school at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

An NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, Torphy was the first two-time winner of the prestigious NCAA Elite 88 Award. He was a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier, twice each in cross country and indoor track.

Torphy earned All-America honors on the distance medley relay team that placed fourth at the 2009 NCAA indoor meet and holds school records indoors in the 800, mile, 4x800 and DMR. He earned all-region honors twice in cross country and finished his career with four gold medals, four silvers and seven bronzes at CC track meets.

Torphy has a chance to become a three-time Academic All-American, as he made the third team in 2009 and the first team last year.

District II College Division consists of all NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and two-year colleges and universities in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. To be nominated for the team, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average and a starter or significant reserve on his team.