Horizon League Announces Academic All-League Teams for Spring Sports

June 27, 2007

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INDIANAPOLIS -- As one of its platforms, the Horizon League stresses the importance of academic achievement. That emphasis was evident Wednesday (June 27) with the announcement of its 2007 Spring Academic All-Horizon League teams.

The League honored 82 student-athletes from eight sports following balloting by the League's faculty athletics representatives and sports information directors. Youngstown State University topped the charts with 16 selections, followed by Butler University (13) and the University of Detroit Mercy (12). Loyola University Chicago, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wright State University each featured eight honorees, with Cleveland State University boasting seven and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Illinois at Chicago claiming five apiece.

The 12-member baseball honor roll included representatives of all six League teams sponsoring the sport, with Wright State sophomore Justin Parker adding the academic award to his First-Team All-League accolades on the field. Parker led the League with 26 doubles and finished fourth on the loop charts with a .379 batting average. In the classroom, he carries a 3.493 grade-point average as an organizational leadership major. Milwaukee senior pitcher Robert Michalkiewicz (3.374, accounting) and Youngstown State junior utility player Josh Page (3.88, middle childhood education) were both Second-Team All-League selections for their performances on the diamond.

Page was named to the Academic All-League squad for the third consecutive year, while Butler junior pitcher Jon Dages (3.293, finance) and YSU junior pitcher Ryan Sellman (3.68, integrated social studies education) joined Cleveland State senior outfielder John Westra (3.74, history) as repeat selections.

Five First-Team All-League players are also part of the 12-member Academic All-League softball team. Two-time League Player of the Year Kaleigh Rafter (3.84, criminal justice) of Detroit headlines that list, as the junior catcher-infielder topped the circuit with a school-record 14 home runs and drove in 35 runs to go along with her .413 batting average. Rafter also gained First-Team CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America notice for her efforts.

Joining Rafter on the list of doubly-honored performers were junior outfielder Ashlee Ackerman of UIC (3.49, sociology), Youngstown State junior third baseman McKenzie Bedra (3.41, exercise science), Detroit senior infielder Sarah Dickey (3.61, criminal justice), junior shortstop Kat Krause of Loyola (3.78, psychology/sociology). Dickey and Bedra finished one-two on the League batting-average charts at .448 and .416, respectively, while Krause was second to Rafter wtih 11 home runs. Detroit senior Adrienna Baran (3.44, biochemistry) and Cleveland State senior catcher-outfielder Michele Penney (3.73, anthropology) were both Second-Team All-League choices on the field.

Dickey gained Academic All-League acclaim for the third year in a row, with Rafter, Krause, Penney, Cleveland State senior Sarah Milosek (3.80, biology) and junior Jacqueline Macy (3.809, athletic training) of League champion Wright State honored for the second consecutive season.

Green Bay dominated the men's tennis team, comprising half of the six-member Academic All-League squad. Junior Tim Prudlow (3.435, human biology) added the latest academic award to his personal trophy case, which also includes First-Team All-League honors from this past spring as well as Academic All-League acclaim in 2006 when he was the League's Player of the Year. Junior Mark Goldin (3.507, business administration)---a Second-Team All-League selection on the courts---joined Prudlow for the second year in a row, along with junior Eric Hines (3.626, accounting/business administration). Butler senior Evan West, a Second-Team All-League player, was named to the academic rolls for the third year in a row for his 3.809 GPA as a chemistry major.

Six different schools were honored on the six-member women's tennis squad, led by junior Grace Gill-Morlis of League champion UIC. Gill-Morlis, a repeat academic honoree, helped the Flames to their 11th consecutive League title as a First-Team All-League performer on the courts while maintaining a 3.78 GPA as a business major. Youngstown State senior Gina Peretti (3.88, political science) earned her second consecutive award and was a Second-Team All-League player. Detroit sophomore Annie Moore (3.585, communications) and Green Bay senior Heather Harding (3.560, earth science) also gained Second-Team All-League honors on the courts, while Wright State senior Audra Beckett netted her third Academic All-League certificate with a perfect 4.000 GPA as a political science major.

For the second consecutive year, Detroit's Mark Sommerfeld was both the League men's golf Player of the Year and a member of the seven-member Academic All-League squad. Sommerfeld carries a 3.440 GPA as an international business major and helped lead the Titans to the League title in 2007, along with fellow junior and two-time AcademicAll-League choice Mikhial Pasic (3.99, business administration). Cleveland State senior Ben Grandy (3.77, biology) earned academic honors for the third straight year, with Loyola junior Aaron Harter (3.89, economics) picking up his second consecutive award.

In women's golf, four members of the First-Team All-League squad also are part of the Academic All-League rolls. Butler junior Niki Garden (3.421, pharmacy) tops that list, along with junior teammate Paige McCracken (3.844, English writing), Detroit junior Mandi Dupuis (3.426, business administration) and Youngstown State junior Brittany Jones (3.73, middle childhood education). Garden was the League's Player of the Year, while McCracken earned medalist honors at the League Championships, helping Butler to a first-place showing in the team standings. Youngstown State senior Bonnie Sherman (3.85, accounting) joined the list of three-time Academic All-League honorees, with Loyola senior Rachel Sinnen (3.68, finance) gaining her second Academic All-League certificate.

Youngstown State boasted four of the 13 academic honorees in men's outdoor track and field, including a repeat selection in junior Drew Weizer (3.78, health/pre-med). That group also included a pair of individual winners at the League Outdoor Track and Field Championships last month, where Milwaukee sophomore Adam Schleis (3.366, history) won the 110-meter high hurdles and Detroit senior Sinisa Simic (3.38, architecture) outdistanced the field in the steeplechase. Butler senior Chad Ware (3.531, chemistry) was the only other student-athlete to repeat from last year's academic rolls.

For the women, five Academic All-League competitors won events at the League Outdoor Championships, including three-event winner Jenni Saarinen of Milwaukee. The sophomore was named the meet's Outstanding Field Performer after claiming top honors in the the long jump, javelin and heptathlon, and carries a 3.77 GPA as an elementary education major. Youngstown State junior Bethany Anderson (3.46, physical education) finished first in both the shot put and hammer throw at the loop summit, with Loyola senior Amanda Domich (3.39, elementary education) running away from the competition in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events. Senior teammate Marcia Faustin (3.46, biology) won her fourth consecutive high-jump title, with Butler junior Genni Gardner (3.942, communications disorders) breaking the tape in the 800 meters.

Two of the 19 honorees are on the list for the third year in a row, as Faustin and Wright State senior Jill Britton (3.797, accountancy) each capped their career with the classroom honor. Anderson, Domich and Gardner are all Academic All-League selections for the second consecutive year.

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.

Academic All-Horizon League Teams -- Spring 2007

Baseball
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Michael Babin * Cleveland State * So. * 3.74 * Political Science * Medina, Ohio (St. Vincent-St. Mary)
Jon Dages-% * Butler * Jr. * 3.293 * Finance * Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence North)
Andy Hetebrueg * Milwaukee * So. * 3.764 * Marketing * West Bend, Wis. (West Bend West)
Peter Ifft * UIC * Fr.-R * 4.00 * Engineering * Rockford, Ill. (Boylan)
Stephen Marquez * Wright State * Sr. * 3.611 * Organizational Leadership * West Sacramento, Calif. (River City)
Ross McCoy * Milwaukee * Sr. * 3.257 * Biochemistry * Menomonee Falls, Wis. (Menomonee Falls)
Robert Michalkiewicz * Milwaukee * Sr. * 3.374 * Accounting * Menasha, Wis. (St. Mary's Catholic)
Alex Montagano * Butler * So. * 3.598 * Marketing * Valparaiso, Ind. (Chesterton)
Josh Page-# * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.88 * Middle Childhood Education * Plain City, Ohio (Jonathan Alder)
Justin Parker * Wright State * So. * 3.493 * Organizational Leadership * Fort Wayne, Ind. (Wayne)
Ryan Sellman-% * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.68 * Integrated Social Studies Education * Twinsburg, Ohio (Twinsburg)
John Westra-% * Cleveland State * Sr. * 3.74 * History * Sturgis, Mich. (Sturgis)

Softball
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Ashlee Ackerman * UIC * Jr. * 3.49 * Sociology * Alto Loma, Calif. (Alto Loma)
Michelle Baggio * Detroit * Sr. * 3.64 * Education * Windsor, Ontario (Holy Names)
Adrienne Baran * Detroit * Sr. * 3.44 * Biochemistry * Richmond, Mich. (Richmond)
McKenzie Bedra * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.41 * Exercise Science * Bowling Green, Ohio (Bowling Green)
Sarah Dickey-# * Detroit * Sr. * 3.61 * Criminal Justice * Brampton, Ontario (Turner-Fenton)
Jenny Jacobs * Butler * Jr. * 3.684 * Elementary Education * Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence North)
Kat Krause-% * Loyola * Jr. * 3.78 * Psychology/Sociology * Arlington Heights, Ill. (Hersey)
Jacqueline Macy-% * Wright State * Jr. * 3.809 * Athletic Training * Middletown, Ohio (Madison)
Sarah Milosek-% * Cleveland State * Sr. * 3.80 * Biology * Brighton, Mich. (Brighton)
Michele Penney-% * Cleveland State * Sr * 3.83 * Anthropology * Ravenna, Ohio (Crestwood)
Kaleigh Rafter-% * Detroit * Jr. * 3.84 * Criminal Justice * Guelph, Ontario (St. James Catholic)
Jamie Wonderly * Butler * Sr. * 3.582 * Psychology * Helena, Ohio (Gibsonburg)

Men's Tennis
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Mark Goldin-% * Green Bay * Jr. * 3.507 * Business Administration * Bayside, Wis. (Nicolet)
Eric Hines * Green Bay * Sr. * 3.626 * Accounting/Business Administration * Omaha, Neb. (Creighton Prep)
Tim Prudlow-% * Green Bay * Jr. * 3.435 * Human Biology * Elm Grove, Wis. (Brookfield Academy)
Evan West-# * Butler * Sr. * 3.809 * Chemistry * Greenwood, Ind. (Center Grove)
Rob West * Cleveland State * So. * 3.74 * Psychology * Guernsey, United Kingdom (Millfield School)
Steven Wipprecht * Cleveland State * So. * 3.92 * Health Sciences * Middletown, Ohio (Lakota East)

Women's Tennis
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Audra Beckett-# * Wright State * Sr. * 4.000 * Political Science * Hamilton, Ohio (Edgewood)
Chelsey Casperson * Butler * Sr. * 3.709 * Secondary Education * Neenah, Wis. (Neenah)
Grace Gill-Morlis-% * UIC * Jr. * 3.78 * Business * Lima, Peru (Villa Maria)
Heather Harding * Green Bay * Sr. * 3.560 * Earth Science * Brookfield, Wis. (Central)
Annie Moore * Detroit * So. * 3.585 * Communications * St. Clair, Mich. (St. Clair)
Gina Peretti-% * Youngstown State * Sr. * 3.88 * Political Science * Boardman, Ohio (Boardman)

Men's Golf
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Sean Bidzinski * Loyola * So. * 3.89 * Biology * Belvidere, Ill. (Boylan)
Ben Grandy-# * Cleveland State * Sr. * 3.77 * Biology * Southgate, Mich. (Gabriel Richard)
Aaron Harter-% * Loyola * Jr. * 3.89 * Economics * Ojai, Calif. (Villanova Prep)
Abe Mulvihill * Butler * Jr * 3.291 * Finance * Caledonia, Mich. (Caledonia)
Mikhial Pasic-% * Detroit * Jr. * 3.99 * Business Administration * London, Ontario (H.B. Beal)
Mark Sommerfeld-% * Detroit * Jr. * 3.440 * International Business * Waterloo, Ontario (Bluevale)
Keith Stelzer * Green Bay * Jr. * 3.664 * Business Administration * DePere, Wis. (DePere)

Women's Golf
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Felicia Ciotola * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.55 * Early Childhood Education * Canfield, Ohio (Canfield)
Mandi Dupuis-% * Detroit * Jr. * 3.426 * Business Administration * Tecumseh, Ontario (L'Essor)
Niki Garden-% * Butler * Jr. * 3.421 * Pharmacy * St. Albans, Mo. (home school)
Brittany Jones * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.73 * Middle Childhood Education * Oldsmar, Fla. (East Lake)
Paige McCracken-% * Butler * Jr. * 3.844 * English Writing * Pittsboro, Ind. (Cardinal Ritter)
Bonnie Sherman-# * Youngstown State * Sr. * 3.85 * Accounting * North Canton, Ohio (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Rachel Sinnen-% * Loyola * Sr. * 3.68 * Finance * Naperville, Ill. (Neuqua Valley)

Men's Outdoor Track and Field
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Justin Bohler * Milwaukee * Jr. * 3.297 * Civil Engineering * Janesville, Wis. (Parker)
Ryan Byrne * Detroit * Sr. * 3.86 * Mechanical Engineering * Essex, Ontario (St. Anne's)
Cliff Cook * Loyola * Jr. * 3.23 * Economics * Merrillville, Ind. (Merrillville)
Tyler Kos * Butler * So. * 3.798 * Pre-Pharmacy * Brookfield, Ill. (Riverside-Brookfield)
Marcus Myrick * Loyola * Jr. * 3.23 * Marketing * Cincinnati, Ohio (St. Xavier)
Dan Nemergut * Youngstown State * So. * 3.33 * Electrical Engineering * Youngstown, Ohio (South Range)
Mike Perri * Youngstown State * So. * 3.36 * Advertising & Public Relations * Chillicothe, Ohio (Chillicothe Unioto)
Oscar Pina * UIC * So. * 3.90 * Criminal Justice * Cicero, Ill. (Morton East)
Adam Schleis * Milwaukee * So. * 3.366 * History * Germantown, Wis. (Germantown)
John Sheppard * Youngstown State * So. * 3.66 * Exercise Science * Huron, Ohio (Firelands)
Sinisa Simic * Detroit * Sr. * 3.38 * Architecture * Windsor, Ontario (Kennedy Collegiate)
Chad Ware-% * Butler * Sr. * 3.531 * Chemistry * South Bend, Ind. (Marian)
Drew Weizer-% * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.78 * Health/Pre-Med * Garfield Heights, Ohio (Trinity)

Women's Outdoor Track and Field
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Bethany Anderson-% * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.46 * Physical Education * Jamestown, N.Y. (Southwestern)
Jill Britton-# * Wright State * Sr. * 3.797 * Accountancy * Newark, Ohio (Newark)
Jacquline Clonch * Youngstown State * So. * 3.89 * Fashion Merchandising * Newton Falls, Ohio (Newton Falls)
Lindsay Cobey * Youngstown State * Sr. * 3.64 * Physical Education * Canfield, Ohio (Canfield)
Amanda Domich-% * Loyola * Sr. * 3.39 * Elementary Education * Algonquin, Ill. (Dundee-Crown)
Marcia Faustin-# * Loyola * Sr. * 3.46 * Biology * Orland Park, Ill. (Carl Sandburg)
Darcelle Formby * Youngstown State * So. * 3.66 * Chemistry * Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland Rhodes)
Genni Gardner-% * Butler * Jr. * 3.942 * Communications Disorders * Bramley, United Kingdom (St. Peters)
Nicole Gilliken * Detroit * Sr. * 3.41 * Biology * Lowell, Mich. (Lowell)
Kristi Hertzler * Butler * Jr. * 3.695 * Biology * Harrisburg, N.C. (Carmel, Ind.)
Abby Marshall * Wright State * So. * 3.784 * Spanish * Van Buren, Ohio (Van Buren)
Madelyn McGhee * Youngstown State * So. * 3.73 * Middle Childhood Education * Brookfield, Ohio (Brookfield)
Marie McVetta * Wright State * Sr. * 3.778 * Management Information Systems * Grafton Ohio (Midview)
Holly Nearman * Milwaukee * So. * 3.651 * Journalism * Monroe, Wis. (Monroe)
Lisa Petty * UIC * Sr. * 3.71 * Education (Teaching of History) * Brookfield, Ill. (Lyons Township)
Jenni Saarinen * Milwaukee * So. * 3.777 * Elementary Education * Lappeenlanta, Finland (Kimpisen Iukio)
Ashley Schinske * Detroit * So. * 3.84 * Math and Spanish * Paw Paw, Mich. (Paw Paw)
Stephanie Supan * Wright State * Sr. * 4.000 * Classroom Teaching * Medina, Ohio (Buckeye)
Beth Zimmerman * Milwaukee * So. * 3.362 * Nursing * Waterford, Wis. (Lakeside Lutheran)

% -- Academic All-Horizon League in 2006 (repeat honorees)
# -- Three-Time (2005, 2006, 2007) Academic All-Horizon League honorees