DeKALB, IL---Awards and honors continue to roll in for Northern Illinois University wrestler Scott Owen (Carlsbad, NM). The latest chapter came Tuesday (June 11), when coordinator Joe Hernandez of Ball State University announced the Huskie senior as a Second-Team selection on the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Men's At-Large honor roll, sponsored by Verizon.    Owen made his third trip to the NCAA Wrestling Championships in March. That was the charm for the NIU captain who earned All-America honors with a fifth-place showing in the 157-pound bracket. It was the highest finish by a Huskie grappler since 1973 and closed a season which included 34 victories in 37 bouts. Owen became the fifth Huskie to receive NCAA Division I All-America accolades, joining two-time honoree Jeremy Goeden (eighth place at 190 pounds in 1997, seventh place in 1998), Mark Tiffany (sixth place at 190 in 1975), Johnny B. Johnson (1973 with a second-place finish in the same 190-pound class) and Larry Johnson (a fifth-place showing in the 158-pound division in 1972) in that elite group.     Owen recorded nine pins and seven technical-fall triumphs as a senior. He was the Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Year and also gained Outstanding Wrestler accolades at the MAC championship tournament, winning the 157-pound title for a second consecutive spring. He completed the 2001-02 campaign with a record of 94-19, one victory short of the all-time program record established by Mark Kuehl (95 victories from 1987-91). Owen's Huskie legacy also includes NCAA tournament appearances in 1999 and 2001.    The grappler's efforts helped Northern Illinois post a 14-4 dual-meet record and claim second place at the MAC Championships---the best showing by an NIU program since the Huskies won the team title in 1985. Owen also led a group of four NCAA qualifiers, with fellow weight class champions Ben Heizer and Bill Lowney plus at-large entry Marlon Felton.    In the classroom, he boasts a 3.61 grade-point-average as a biological sciences major. Owen's efforts were enough to gain First-Team All-Academic accolades from the National Wrestling Coaches Association.    "It's a tremendous honor that Scott can be listed among top student-athletes in the country," Northern Illinois coach Dave Grant said. "A lot of people don't understand what this distinction really means, to be listed among the top Olympic sport student-athletes coast-to-coast."    The CoSIDA At-Large team encompasses a number of Olympic sports. On the men's side, student-athletes competing in fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling are eligible for consideration. Nominees must own a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or better (on a 4.00 scale) and have sophomore or higher status.    Goeden was also a Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree in 1998. Last fall, football tailback Thomas Hammock (Fort Wayne, IN / Bishop Luers) was named First-Team Academic All-America for the second consecutive season, while women's soccer player Megan Anderson (Libertyville) represented Northern Illinois with Third-Team Academic All-America accolades in the first team exclusively for that sport.    A tie in the voting put 17 student-athletes---all seniors or graduate students---on the First-Team Academic All-America squad (instead of the usual 15), with University of Texas swimmer Justin Dumais named the Academic All-American of the Year. Seven tennis players earned top honors, including Bence Hamori of American University, K.J. Hippensteel of Stanford University, Ola Jonsson of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Frantisek Krepelka of Oklahoma State University, James Madison University's Andrew Lux, Gustav Pousette from the University of Kentucky and Purdue University's Dan Swan.   University of Denver skiier Pietro Broggini also garnered First-Team notice, along with Clarkson College ice hockey standout David Evans, University of Florida swimmer Micheal Jansen, University of Oklahoma gymnast David Johnston, University of Hawaii volleyball player Dejan Miladinovic and University of Washington swimmer David Moilanen. Rounding out the list were Eastern Kentucky University golfer Brad Morris, University of Michigan gymnast Justin Toman and Ball State golfer Dan Witt.    The Huskie standout also can add to his already-extensive resume as the NCAA has granted Owen an additional year of eligibility. The national organization extended Owen's timeframe for competition, agreeing Owen was kept out of action due to circumstances beyond his control in two earlier seasons.    "This is a great opportunity for Scott to come back and compete for a national championship," Grant added. "Now he has a chance to become two-time All-America. This is all possible thanks to our program's outstanding administrative support from (head athletics trainer) Phil Voorhis and (compliance coordinator) Bobbie Cesarek plus the fact that Scott is such a great student-athlete. With Scott back in lineup, we've set our goals even higher for next season. We're hoping to improve on our 26th place finish and become one of the top teams in the nation."    Owen missed most of the 1997-98 season after suffering broken ribs in preseason workouts. He managed a 5-1 ledger that year before a fractured foot ended his debut campaign, but returned to post a 21-9 standard and gain an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships as a sophomore in 1998-99. Owen was limited to two matches in 1999-2000, when surgery was needed to repair a dislocated right shoulder, but has gone 64-9 in the last two seasons.    The NCAA's ruling also paves the way for Owen to etch another bit of program history next spring. He can join T.C. Dantzler as the only Huskies to qualify for four NCAA championship tournaments, as Dantzler represented NIU at the national summit for four consecutive years (1990-93).    Owen---who received his bachelor of science degree in biological sciences last month---is the second Northern Illinois athlete granted a sixth year from the NCAA. Women's basketball player Dianna Wingis was sidelined for two years after her freshman (1987-88) season, but returned for the 1990-91 campaign and also was part of the team when the Huskies reached the NCAA tournament in both 1991-92 and 1992-93.