Horizon League Announces Academic All-League Teams for Winter Sports

April 18, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

INDIANAPOLIS -- As one of its platforms, the Horizon League stresses the importance of academic achievement. That emphasis was evident Tuesday (April 18) with the announcement of its 2005-06 Winter Academic All-Horizon League teams.

A total of 79 student-athletes from six sports were honored in balloting by the League's faculty athletics representatives and sports information directors. Wright State University led the way with 12 selections, followed by the University of Detroit Mercy (11). The University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee each had ten student-athletes recognized, followed by Youngstown State University (nine) and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (eight). Butler University and Loyola University Chicago boasted seven honorees apiece, with Cleveland State University receiving five awards.

Three members of Butler's men's basketball team gained Academic All-League recognition, led by A.J. Graves. The sophomore guard finished 12th in the League in scoring, averaging 13.4 points per game, while his .819 free-throw percentage was fourth-best in the League. Graves owns a 3.32 grade-point-average as an exploratory major.Junior teammates Julian Betko (3.64, marketing) and Drew Streicher (3.95, chemistry) joined Graves on the honor roll after helping BU to a runner-up showing in the regular season and Horizon League Championship tournament in 2005-06. Butler finished 20-13 overall and won its initial game in the Postseason NIT.

Loyola sophomore Tom Levin (3.52, economics) and Cleveland State senior Cory Rojeck (3.40, social studies) rounded out the men's basketball honorees. Levin started 20 games for the 19-11 Ramblers, averaging just over 20 minutes per game. The 19 victories were the most for the program since the 1984-85 campaign.

In women's basketball, Butler junior guard Jackie Closser headlined the five-member Academic All-League team. Closser was a First-Team All-League choice as well as a Second-Team Academic All-District pick by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) after averaging 15.1 points per game this season and leading the League in both free-throw percentage (.867) and assists (5.21 per game). In the classroom, Closser boasts a 3.48 grade-point-average as an elementary education major.

Three other honorees each averaged double figures in scoring, with UW-Green Bay junior Amanda Popp (3.731, psychology/human development) scoring 10.7 points per outing based on a .515 field-goal percentage which was fourth-best in the League. Youngstown State senior Ashlee Russo (3.93, biology/pre-med) and Wright State sophomore Whitney Lewis (4.00, psychology) each finished at 10.3 points per outing, while the final representative---Detroit senior Caitie Goddard (3.864, business)---ranked fourth in the League as a 45.3 percent shooter from three-point range. She averaged 8.6 points per outing in 2005-06.

In men's swimming, Cleveland State's Bjorn Schantz was one of three Vikings to earn Academic All-League honors. The junior earned League Athlete of the Year recognition after winning three events and setting a pair of League records at the 2006 Horizon League Championship. Schantz supplemented his record-setting performances in the 500-yard and 1000-yard freestyle events with the 1,650-yard freestyle title in pacing CSU to the League title---the school's first in any sport since 1999. In the classroom, owns a 3.88 GPA as a marketing and international business major.

Senior teammates Daniel Thomasson (3.69, international relations) and Adam Wroblewski (3.84, mechanical engineering) were other CSU representatives gaining Academic All-League notice. Thomason won the 200-yard freestyle title at the League summit.

The team also included five UIC swimmers led by junior Blake Booher (3.42, political science), who set a League standard in winning the 50-yard freestyle. Fellow Flame Bill Hare (3.64, biology) and UW-Milwaukee senior Tim Watt (3.421, civil engineering) gained academic honors for the third consecutive year, with eight other competitors---including 100-yard freestyle kingpin Elvis Cirikovic (3.442, accountancy) of Wright State---drawing repeat notice on the 17-member group.

The women's swimming team also features 17 student-athletes, led by League Swimmer of the Year Lindsay Caldwell of UW-Milwaukee. Caldwell, who owns a 3.537 GPA as a journalism/mass communications major, was one of four repeat selections after winning the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events at the League championships. The junior also posted the 79th-fastest time (:50.58) in the country with her performance at the Wheaton College Invitational in December. Senior Allison Kreb's championship efforts in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke paced UW-Green Bay to the team title and helped draw Academic All-League acclaim. Kreb's work as a human biology major features a 3.47 GPA.

Senior Amy Cron (3.539, middle childhood education) was one of six Wright State swimmers selected for the Academic All-League squad. Cron captured the 100-yard backstroke crown, with sophomore Jessica Weidert's selection following her second-place showing in the 200-yard breaststroke at the loop summit. Weidert boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA in her studies as a modern languages major. Also among the WSU contingent was senior Katie Rippl, who received her third Academic All-League citation.

In men's track, Detroit had six of the 17 honorees, with Loyola and Youngstown State each claiming four. The YSU contingent featured graduate student Jarrod Davis (3.70 undergraduate/4.00 grad, computer information systems), who set a League record in the weight throw at the 2006 Horizon League Championship. Loyola's Marcus Myrick (3.35, business) finished second in the high jump, while UW-Milwaukee senior Josh Nygren (3.930, political science) captured his third Academic All-League certificate after taking fifth place in the 3,000-meter run and fourth place in the 5,000 meters at the loop summit. He was one of six repeat selections.

The women's track team included 18 student-athletes (due to a tie in the voting), with each of the seven schools sponsoring the sport boasting at least two honorees. Five of the 18 capturing individual events at the League Championship, with Butler senior Katie Stuckey winning the 3,000-meter run and Detroit senior Andrea Karl pulling away for the one-mile title. Stuckey is a biology major with a 3.70 grade-point-average, with Karl compiling a 3.525 GPA in her elementary education major.

Loyola junior Marcia Faustin (3.47, biology) was one of six repeat selections after taking top honors in the high jump, with UW-Milwaukee sophomore Angie Huebner (3.628, architecture) crossing the line first in the 5,000 meters and Youngstown State sophomore Bethany Anderson (3.34, health) winning both the shot put and weight throw competitions. UW-Milwaukee's Katie Slamka (3.924, kinesiology) and Wright State's Stephanie Francis (3.883, biological sciences) each won a third consecutive Academic All-League citation.

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 3.25 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.

###

Comprised of nine public and private institutions of higher learning, the Horizon League is an NCAA Division I athletics conference that sponsors 19 intercollegiate championship sports and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The League and its member institutions aspire to teach young people, through athletic competition, the value of learning, service to others and personal responsibility.

Academic All-Horizon League Teams -- Winter 2005-06

Men's Basketball
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)>
Julian Betko * Butler * Jr. * 3.64 * Marketing * Ruzomberok, Slovakia (Sharon, Pa.)
A.J. Graves * Butler * So. * 3.32 * Exploratory * Switz City, Ind. (White River Valley)
Tom Levin * Loyola * So. * 3.52 * Economics * Oshkosh, Wis. (West)
Cory Rojeck * Cleveland State * Sr. * 3.40 * Social StudiesWickliffe, Ohio (Wickliffe)
Drew Streicher * Butler * Jr. * 3.95 * Chemistry * Washington, Ind. (Washington)

Women's Basketball
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Jackie Closser * Butler * Jr. * 3.48 * Elementary Education * Alexandria, Ind. (Alexandria-Monroe)
Caitie Goddard * Detroit * Sr. * 3.864 * Business * Royal Oak, Mich. (Bishop Foley)
Whitney Lewis * Wright State * So. * 4.00 * Psychology * Lynchburg, Ohio (Lynchburg-Clay)
Amanda Popp * UW-Green Bay * Jr. * 3.731 * Psychology, Human Development * Brillion, Wis. (Brillion)
Ashlee Russo * Youngstown State * Sr. * 3.93 * Biology / Pre-Med * Boardman, Ohio (Boardman)

Men's Swimming and Diving
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Blake Booher * UIC * Jr. * 3.42 * Political Science * Barrington, Ill. (Barrington)
Elvis Cirikovic * Wright State * Sr. * 3.442 * Accountancy * Ljubljana, Slovania
Mike Conroy * UIC * Jr. * 3.50 * Business * Hoffman Estates, Ill. (Hoffman Estates)
Bill Hare * UIC * Sr. * 3.64 * Biology * Lockport, Ill. (Lockport)
Jeff Jasinowski * UW-Milwaukee * Sr. * 3.311 * Journalism / Mass Communications * Bayside, Wis. (Nicolet)
Andrew Johnston * UW-Green Bay * Sr. * 3.85 * Business Administration * Chippewa Falls, Wis. (Chippewa Falls)
Ryan Klasmeier * Wright State * Jr. * 3.470 * Mechanical Engineering * Cincinnati, Ohio (Sycamore)
Paul Lewis * UW-Milwaukee * So.3.643 * Journalism * Waukesha, Wis. (West)
Dan Lindstrom * UW-Green Bay * Sr. * 3.40 * Urban and Regional Studies * Vulcan, Mich. (Vulcan)
Mark Pappalardo * UIC * Jr. * 3.43 * Secondary Education / Math * LaGrange, Ill. (Lyons Township)
Bjorn Schantz * Cleveland State * Jr. * 3.88 * Marketing & International Business * Loddekopinge, Sweden (Polhemskolan)
Jon Schubbe * UW-Green Bay * Sr. * 3.34 * Environmental Policy & Planning * Afton, Minn. (Stillwater)
LeRoy Stevens * UIC * Sr. * 3.71 * Photography * Arlington Heights, Ill. (Prospect)
Daniel Thomasson * Cleveland State * Sr. * 3.69 * International Relations * Sodertalje, Sweden (Vastergards Gymnasiet)
Tim Watt * UW-Milwaukee * Sr. * 3.421 * Civil Engineering * Waukesha, Wis. (West)
Karl Winderl * UW-Milwaukee * Jr. * 3.933 * Accounting * Hubertus, Wis. (Hartford Union)
Adam Wroblewski * Cleveland State * Sr. * 3.84 * Mechanical Engineering * Parma, Ohio (Valley Forge)

Women's Swimming and Diving
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Miranda Ambuske * UIC * So. * 3.86 * Psychology * Bolingbrook, Ill. (Neuqua Valley)
Becky Bertuzzi * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.83 * Business Marketing * Warren, Ohio (John F. Kennedy)
Lindsay Caldwell * UW-Milwaukee * Jr. * 3.537 * Journalism / Mass Communications * West Bend, Wis. (West)
Kristin Carlson * UW-Green Bay * Jr. * 3.77 * Business Administration * Maple Grove, Minn. (Maple Grove)
Amy Cron * Wright State * Sr. * 3.539 * Middle Childhood Education * St. Marys, Ohio (Colonial)
Dani DiMasso * Wright State * Jr. * 3.907 * Language Arts Education * Cincinnati, Ohio (Sycamore)
Colleen Dougherty * UIC * So. * 3.86 * Psychology * Woodstock, Ill. (Woodstock)
Allison Kreb * UW-Green Bay * Sr. * 3.47 * Human Biology * Maple Grove, Minn. (Maple Grove)
Laura Martensen * UIC * Sr. * 3.34 * English Education * Oak Park, Ill. (Fenwick)
Kirsty McKechnie * Cleveland State * Sr. * 3.54 * Finance & International Business * Durban, South Africa (Crawford College)
Emma McKeith * UW-Milwaukee * So. * 3.933 * Education * Madison, Wis. (West)
Amanda Mueller * Wright State * Jr. * 3.934 * Marketing * Mequon, Wis. (Homestead)
Svetlana Nepocatych * Wright State * Sr. * 3.948 * Physical Education * Kaunas, Lithuania
Katie Rippl * Wright State * Sr. * 3.741 * Anthropology * New Albany, Ohio (New Albany)
Mary Schoen * UW-Green Bay * Jr. * 3.92 * Human Biology * Chaska, Minn. (Chaska)
Janet Weidert * UW-Green Bay * Jr. * 3.71 * Human Development * Colbert, Wash. (Colbert)
Jessica Weidert * Wright State * So. * 4.00 * Modern Languages * Spokane, Wash. (Mead)

Men's Indoor Track and Field
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Zack Bolton * Detroit * Jr. * 3.705 * Mechanical Engineering * Belding, Mich. (Belding)
Jarrod Davis * Youngstown State * Gr. * 4.00# * Computer Information Systems * East Canton, Ohio (East Canton)
Ryan Ferros * Loyola * Sr. * 3.66 * Finance * Portland, Ore. (Jesuit)
Mead Goedert * Detroit * Sr. * 3.782 * Social Work * Omaha, Neb. (Creighton Prep)
Justin Gorman * UW-Milwaukee * Jr. * 3.424 * Accounting * Spring Green, Wis. (River Valley)
Jean Harris * Detroit * Sr. * 3.528 * Mechanical Engineering * Livonia, Mich. (Churchill)
Andrew Hayner * Detroit * So. * 4.00 * Political Science and History * Royal Oak, Mich. (UD Jesuit)
Michael Jagmin * Loyola * Sr. * 3.29 * Economics * Frankfort, Ill. (Lincoln-Way)
Andrew McQuillan * Loyola * Sr. * 3.31 * Finance * Geneva, Ill. (Geneva)
Dave Mealy * Youngstown State * Sr. * 3.57 * Integrated Social Studies * New Middletown, Ohio (Springfield)
Marcus Myrick * Loyola * So. * 3.35 * Business * Cincinnati, Ohio (St. Xavier)
Josh Nygren * UW-Milwaukee * Sr. * 3.930 * Political Science * Marinette, Wis. (Marinette)
Nick Smith * Youngstown State * Sr. * 3.48 * Geology * Defiance, Ohio (Tinora)
Ramy Sulaiman * Detroit * Jr. * 3.795 * Mechanical Engineering * Farmington Hills, Mich. (Harrison)
Drew Weizer * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.71 * Physical Education * Garfield Heights, Ohio (Trinity)
Kent Wories * Butler * So. * 3.96 * Finance * Edwardsville, Ill. (Metro East Lutheran)
Dan Zinser * Detroit * Sr. * 3.381 * Business * Roseville, Mich. (Roseville)

Women's Indoor Track and Field
Name * School * Yr. * GPA * Major(s) * Hometown (High School)
Bethany Anderson * Youngstown State * So. * 3.34 * Health * Jamestown, N.Y. (Southwestern)
Jill Britton * Wright State * Jr. * 3.825 * Accountancy * Newark, Ohio (Newark)
Lindsay Cobey * Youngstown State * Jr. * 3.57 * Health EducationCanfield, Ohio (Canfield)
Emily Cole * Detroit * Sr. * 3.643 * Chemistry * Cement City, Mich. (Hudson)
Marcia Faustin * Loyola * Jr. * 3.47 * Biology * Orland Park, Ill. (Carl Sandburg)
Stephanie Francis * Wright State * Sr. * 3.883 * Biological Sciences * Versailles, Ohio (Versailles)
Genni Gardner * Butler * So. * 3.90 * Communications Disorders * Bramley, U.K. (St. Peters)
Ashley Gibbs * Detroit * Jr. * 3.952 * Biochemistry * Canton, Ohio (Glen Oak)
Rachel Hansen * Loyola * So. * 3.93 * Biology * Omaha, Neb. (Burke)
Angie Huebner * UW-Milwaukee * So. * 3.628 * Architecture * Green Bay, Wis. (Southwest)
Andrea Karl * Detroit * Sr. * 3.525 * Elementary Education * Casco, Mich. (Marine City)
Sara O'Mara * UIC * Sr. * 4.00 * Pre-Elementary Education * Hinsdale, Ill. (Central)
Lisa Petty * UIC * Jr. * 3.67 * History Teacher Education * Brookfield, Ill. (Lyons Township)
LeAnn Sarka * Detroit * So. * 3.788 * Biology * Fort Wayne, Ind. (Homestead)
Katie Slamka * UW-Milwaukee * Sr. * 3.924 * Kinesiology * Racine, Wis. (Horlick)
Katie Stuckey * Butler * Sr. * 3.70 * Biology * Vincennes, Ind. (Lincoln)
Katy Williams * Youngstown State * Sr. * 3.72 * French * Randolph, Ohio (Waterloo)
Jennifer Williamson * Wright State * Sr. * 3.725 * Business Economics * Grove City, Ohio (Grove City)

# -- Graduate school GPA (3.70 undergraduate GPA)

Academic All-League Selections by School
Wright State 12, Detroit 11, UIC 10, UW-Milwaukee 10, Youngstown State 9, UW-Green Bay 8, Butler 7, Loyola 7, Cleveland State 5