UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; June 2, 2006 - Two Penn State women's track and field athletes, seniors Diana Bruch (Nesquehoning, Pa.) and Jennifer Leatherman (Yellville, Ark.), have earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II honors. Leatherman, this year's Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year, graduated in May with a 3.93 in recreation, parks and tourism management. Bruch, a kinesiology major, graduated with a 3.8 grade point average.

A three-time All-American, Leatherman is getting ready to compete in the hammer and shot put at the upcoming NCAA Championships. She is ranked No. 5 in the hammer after placing second at the NCAA East Regional meet. A nine-time Big Ten Athlete of the Week selection, she is seeded 22nd in the shot put after finishing sixth at Regionals. She captured her second-straight conference title in the hammer throw at the 2006 Big Ten Championships as well as the conference discus title, finishing her career with three outdoor titles. The 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region, she won back-to-back Big Ten titles in the shotput and weight throw her only two years competing at Penn State after transferring from Navy.

An All-American javelin thrower for the Lions, Bruch placed eighth in 2005 at NCAAs to earn the national honor. The senior captured first at the Jim Thorpe Invitational, throwing an NCAA qualifying mark of 150-08. Bruch finished 10th at the USA National Track and Field championship last season and graduated in May.

After finishing seventh at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regional Championships, the Penn State women's outdoor track and field team is sending six athletes to the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, being held June 7-10 in Sacramento, Calif.