STANFORD, Calif. – David Jessen (gymnastics), Lucas Orts (fencing) and Ben Hallock (water polo) have been named Men's At-Large Academic All-Americans by the College of Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Jessen, a first-team selection, is the sixth men's gymnast to be named an Academic All-American and brings the program's award count up to seven. A second-team pick, Orts is just the second fencer in program history to be honored and the first since 1984. Hallock, who landed on the third team, is the fourth men's water polo Academic All-American, increasing the program's award count to five.
Jessen is a four-time CGA First Team All-America Scholar-Athlete recently graduated with a degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology while carrying a 3.72 GPA. A recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, he was a finalist for the 2020 Nissen-Emery Award – presented annually to the top senior gymnast in the nation. A 2019 All-American on the high bar at the NCAA Championships, he helped guide the Cardinal to the NCAA team title.
Internationally, Jessen is a member of the Czech National Team and competed in the all-around at the 2016 Rio Olympics. A four-time Czech national champion, he has a pommel horse skill (The Jessen) listed in the Code of Points after successfully performing the skill at the 2019 Apparatus World Cup in Doha, Qatar. He will once again train to represent the Czech Republic at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He plans to go to medical school and become a doctor after the completion of his competitive gymnastics career.
Orts, a junior with a 3.96 GPA in electrical engineering, qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third straight year. The two-time NCAA West Region foil champion, he helped Stanford win the 2020 Western Conference team title. Orts was 42-13 overall this season.
A 2019 honorable mention All-American, Orts placed 10th at the NCAA Championships and was the 2019 recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 Award – presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the championship site. A native of Palo Alto, Orts finished third in foil at the 2019 U.S. Senior Championships.
Hallock is a redshirt junior with a 3.53 GPA who will soon graduate with a degree in economics. A two-time Peter J. Cutino Award winner and two-time Association of College Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) National Player of the Year, Hallock led the Cardinal in 2019 to its first NCAA title since 2002 – the program's 11th overall. He led the team in goals (73) for the third straight season and is Stanford's active leader in career goals (194), good for eighth in program history.
A three-time ACWPC First Team All-American and two-time MPSF Player of the Year, Hallock is a three-time ACWPC All-Academic – Superior selection. The 2019 NCAA Championship MVP, he is also a three-time MPSF All-Academic honoree. Hallock competed for the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics and is training to represent the red, white and blue in Tokyo in 2021.
