Horizon League Announces Academic All-League Teams for Fall Sports

Dec. 6, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format

INDIANAPOLIS -- Horizon League student-athletes excelled both on the field and in the classroom during the Fall 2007 season. The "student" half of that term was evident Thursday (Dec. 6) with the announcement of the League's 2007 Fall Academic All-Horizon League Teams.

A total of 48 student-athletes from five sports were honored after voting by the League's faculty athletics representatives and sports information directors. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee led the pack with nine selections, while the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay boasts eight.

Butler University and Valparaiso University each had seven student-athletes recognized, followed by Loyola University Chicago (five), Cleveland State University (four) and Wright State University. The University of Detroit Mercy and Youngstown State University were each represented by two student-athletes, with one competitor from the University of Illinois at Chicago honored.

The academic honorees includes three student-athletes who were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Teams last month. Senior Markian Zyga of Loyola was a Second-Team choice in men's soccer, while Valparaiso junior Jackie Thomas and Wright State senior Tara Geegan gained Third-Team honors in women's soccer and volleyball, respectively.

The men's soccer Academic All-League squad features three players who also earned All-League notice on the field. Milwaukee seniors Steve Bode and Zeke Dombrowski were both First-Team performers athletically, while Valparaiso sophomore Ryan Schwarz was a Second-Team choice in net for the Crusaders. Bode owns a 3.587 grade-point average as a psychology major, with Dombrowski compiling a 3.59 mark in his business studies. Schwarz boasts a 3.36 GPA as a business major.

Bode is on the team for the third time, joining Cleveland State senior Tom Saad (3.78, international business) in that group. Loyola's Zyga is an Academic All-League choice for the second consecutive year.

Milwaukee had three players named to the 11-person team in men's soccer, with Cleveland State, Green Bay, Loyola and Valparaiso each boasting two selections.

Thomas (3.85, public relations / sports management) and Loyola sophomore Cynthia Morote-Ariza headine the women's soccer group. Thomas' Academic All-League selection capped a season featuring four goals for the League's newest entry, and Morote-Ariza was the loop's Player of the Year after becoming the first player in history to top the circuit charts in goals (17), assists (nine) and points (43) in the same season. She set the Loyola single-season scoring record and led the Ramblers to their second consecutive Horizon League Championship title with a 14-9-1 overall mark. In the classroom, Morote-Ariza carries a 3.40 grade-point average as a psychology major.

Milwaukee junior Erin Kane (3.352, pre-veterinary) and Butler junior Angie Muir (3.81, secondary education / math) also were First-Team All-League performers on the field, with Kane leading the circuit in goals-against average (0.73) and shutouts (ten), giving her a loop-record 36 clean sheets for her career. Muir's 26 points were third-best on the League scoring charts in 2007.

Thomas, Valparaiso sophomore Ani Michl, and Green Bay senior Lotte Rasmussen earned Second-Team notice on the field. Michl owns a perfect 4.00 GPA as a nursing major, with Rasmussen compiling a 3.941 mark in her psychology studies. Muir and Rasmussen were two of four repeat selections on the Academic All-League squad, joining Loyola junior Caitlin Brown (3.90, marketing / management) and Milwaukee senior Joanna Severson (3.927, accounting / finance) in that group.

Butler, Green Bay, Loyola, Milwaukee and Valparaiso each had two players selected to the women's soccer Academic All-League squad, with Detroit claiming the final honoree.

In volleyball, four players added Academic All-League recognition to their All-League status on the court in 2007. That group features the League's Player of the Year in Milwaukee senior Leanne Felsing, who led the Panthers to their fifth consecutive regular-season title and was named to the AVCA's All-Midwest Region Team for the second year in a row. In the classroom, Felsing carries a 3.479 GPA as an education major. Youngstown State senior Jessica Fraley (3.87, mass communications) and Cleveland State senior Mel Snyder (3.81, middle childhood education) joined Felsing and Geegan (4.00, early childhood education) as All-League performers both on the court and in the classroom.

Geegan, Fraley and Snyder each received academic notice for the second consecutive year, along with Cleveland State sophomore Liz Fazio (3.91, biology), while Green Bay senior Betty Slinger (3.818, human biology) earned a spot on the Academic All-League squad for the third time in a row.

Cleveland State, Green Bay, Milwaukee and Wright State each captured two of the 12 spots on the volleyball Academic All-League squad, with Butler, Loyola, Valparaiso and Youngstown State each claiming one.

Four All-League runners are part of the men's cross country Academic All-League group. Butler seniors Sam Jacobs (3.721, English) and Kent Wories (3.965, finance) finished second and fifth, respectively, at the Horizon League Championships to earn First-Team honors athletically, pacing BU to its tenth League title in a row with the largest margin of victory in loop history. Valparaiso junior Chris Honig (3.64, history) and Youngstown State sophomore Justin Dickman (4.00, communications) were Second-Team All-League honorees on the course after crossing the finish line eighth and tenth, respectively.

Wories is an Academic All-League selection for the second year in a row, with Detroit senior Andrew Hayner earning recognition for the third consecutive year. Hayner carries a perfect 4.00 GPA, majoring in poiltical science and history.

The women's cross country Academic All-League Team features the top four finishers in this year's Horizon League Championships. Valparaiso junior Laura Rolf was named the League's Athlete of the Year after winning the loop individual title, gaining All-Region accolades for the third year in a row and qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the second time. She boasts a 3.40 grade-point average as a new media-journalism major.

Butler senior Genni Gardner (3.942, speech and language pathology) finished second at the loop summit and is an Academic All-League selection for the second consecutive year. Senior teammate Claire Holme (4.00, effective education) joined Gardner to help the Bulldog women to their sixth straight League title, while Green Bay senior Erin Stache (3.909, chemistry) gained her second Academic All-League certificate.

The Horizon League recognizes student-athletes with Academic All-League teams in each of its 19 championship sports. To be eligible for Academic All-Horizon League consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale) and have completed at least one year at the member institution having earned 24 semester-hour or 36 quarter-hour credits.

Note: A complete list of the honorees for each sport can be found in the PDF version of this release.