All Lady'Back teams over 3.00 for first time

FAYETTEVILLE – Led by all-time high marks from golf, soccer and softball, the University of Arkansas Women’s Athletics Department made history with all 10 teams posting semester grade point averages above 3.00 for the recently completed Spring 2005 term, Director of Women’s Athletics Bev Lewis announced today. For the first time in the 16-year history of the Women’s Athletics Department’s Academic Excellence Program, every Lady Razorback athletic team had a team GPA above 3.00, and the department as a whole had its second highest cumulative GPA with a 3.19 for all 148 scholarship athletes. “Every semester we’re pleased with the work our athletes put into the classroom, but to have every team over a 3.00 is something special,” Lewis said. “It’s a credit to each Lady Razorback for her individual work, but I’m also proud of the leadership our coaching staffs are showing.” The Academic Excellence program recognizes the classroom achievements of Lady Razorbacks during each full semester of class. Lady’Backs posting perfect 4.00 grades are named Academic Champion. Grades from 3.50 to 3.99 earn mention on the Women’s Athletic Director’s List, while grades from 3.00 to 3.49 are on the departmental Honor Roll. Of the 105 Lady’Backs on all three honor rolls, 19 were Academic Champions led by Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for basketball Sarah Pfeifer and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District athletes Laura Jakosky and Maureen Scott from track and Kristin Peoples from basketball. Arkansas’ gymnastics team led the overall GPA figures with a 3.54 and 91% of the team listed on the honor rolls. The Gym’Backs combined their fourth straight semester as the top GPA team at Arkansas with the program’s best competition season, finishing the year ranked as high as the top 12 and sending the first competitor to the NCAA Championships. “Once again, we’re very proud of the effort of our athletes in the classroom,” Gym’Back co-head coach Mark Cook said. “The time commitment in our sport is tough, but we are fortunate to have great support staff in academics to help us maintain our high standards.” Arkansas’ golf program posted the highest NCAA finish and ranking in the program’s 10-year history this spring, and matched that in the classroom with a semester GPA tying 3.31. Coach Kelley Hester’s Lady’Backs had nine of the ten team members on the department honor roll, including the SEC individual medalist and coaches’ association all-American Stacy Lewis. “It was a good semester on and off the course,” Hester said. “We pride ourselves on being student-athletes; students first, then athletes. Our kids work hard and they put in the time. We might miss the most classes of any team, and to still have that kind of performance shows our player’s commitment and their ability to juggle their studies and competition.” The Lady’Back soccer team tied with golf for the second best GPA in the department, and broke the program’s all-time mark with its 3.31 GPA. Soccer had three athletes named as Academic Champions with psychology majors Allison Harris and Katie Stauffer and nursing major Carrie Dillsaver. “I’m very pleased for the department overall and I hope this reinforces for the community our commitment to education in the Lady Razorback department,” head soccer coach Gordon Henderson said. “Personally, I couldn’t be happier for the entire team. It is a major item in our mission statement and something we have placed a heavy emphasis on since I arrived here. All of our women are tremendous roll models for our community, and truly student-athletes.” The Lady’Back softball team matched golf with a 3.22 team GPA that broke the all-time best for the nine-year-old program. The 3.22 for softball broke Coach Jamie Pinkerton’s own mark of 3.21 in the Fall 2004. Pinkerton’s team had three Academic Champions: Rachel LeMaster, nursing; Valanna Lyons, communications; Sarah Topham, accounting. “We as a staff think that if you take care of things in the classroom it will translate into success on the field,” Pinkerton said. “As a staff, we’re very proud of the accomplishment. We’re especially proud of Rachel, Valanna and Sarah. Academic success was a goal for us from the first day I set foot on campus, and we wanted to establish ourselves as a team that would consistently be over 3.00 every semester.” Basketball just missed another record semester with its 3.26 GPA, only .04 shy of the mark set last spring, and was the co-leader for the department in Academic Champions. Besides its pair of ESPN Academic All-District selections, industrial engineering major Pfeifer and pre-med major Peoples, Coach Susie Gardner had graduating marketing major April Seggebruch and returning senior kinesiology major Melissa Hobbs on the 4.00 list. In all, basketball tied its all-time mark with 10 athletes on the honor rolls. “It’s always important for our student-athletes to stay on top of their classwork, and it takes a special commitment to do that during the spring semester,” Gardner said. “To have two starters and four total with perfect 4.00 grades is great, but having almost the whole team on the honor roll says a lot about our team’s hard work.” Coach Michael Hegarty’s tennis team tied basketball for third overall at 3.26. Volleyball almost made it a three-way tie with a 3.24 GPA. Following softball at 3.22, swimming (3.04) and cross country/track and field (3.01) rounded out the sweep of team GPAs at or above a “B” average. The combined cross country/track roster also tied basketball with the most 4.00 students for the Spring.
University of Arkansas Women’s Athletics Department Academic Excellence Honor Roll, Spring 2005Academic Champions (4.00)Brandy Buss, track, kinesiology; Kelli Cole, volleyball, English; Sarah Cole, track, English; Carrie Dillsaver, soccer, nursing; Jennifer Haaser, volleyball, secondary education; Allison Harris, soccer, psychology; Melissa Hobbs, basketball, kinesiology; Laura Jakosky, track, marketing; Angela Kora, swimming, mechanical engineering; Rachel LeMaster, softball, nursing; Valanna Lyons, softball, communications; Audra Loveless, gymnastics, kinesiology; Kristin Peoples, basketball, biology; Sarah Pfeifer, basketball, industrial engineering; Maureen Scott, track, kinesiology; Megan Scott, track, undeclared; April Seggebruch, basketball, marketing; Katie Stauffer, soccer, psychology; Sarah Topham, softball, accounting.
Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (3.50- 3.99)Yawna Allen, tennis, journalism; Kele Brewer, volleyball, kinesiology; Anne Katherine Campbell, swimming, kinesiology; Melissa Cornett, tennis, biology; Zsuzsa Csobanki, swimming, interior design; Iva Docekalova, volleyball, biology; Jessica Dorrell, volleyball, business; Shana Easley, softball, marketing; Katie Hardman, gymnastics, kinesiology; Kimberly Harris, gymnastics, marketing; Katy Henry, softball, undeclared; Kristie Holman, soccer, math; Leslie Howard, basketball, psychology; Laura Insell, track, English; Gena Johnson, golf, marketing; Laura Kerr, track, math; Rebecca Kerr, track, chemistry; Denitza Koleva, volleyball, kinesiology; Melissa Leigh, gymnastics, kinesiology; Allison Linden, tennis, business; Hannah McLeod, gymnastics, kinesiology; Dana McQuillin, gymnastics, interior design; Ashley Medders, golf, history; Whitney Morton, tennis, international relations; Mindy O’Malley, softball, elementary education; Madison Palmer, swimming, journalism; Lisa Petry, swimming, elementary education; Emily Peacock, gymnastics, undeclared; Blaire Perry, softball, elementary education; Caroline Peyton, track, English; Heather Rankin, softball, pre-medicine; Holly Rosen, soccer, marketing; Alison Rush, track, statistics; Sarah Saffa, track, Spanish; Sydney Scarbrough, track, social work; Erica Sigmont, track, marketing; Andrea Sparks, soccer, marketing; Penny Splichal, track, recreation; Kristen Thibodeaux, swimming, marketing; Sarah Trew, golf, criminal justice; Shiloh Whiting, track, animal science; Kellyn Williams, swimming, elementary education.
Women’s Athletic Department Honor Roll (3.00-3.49)Danielle Allen, basketball, communication; Amy Jo Allison, volleyball, kinesiology; Kristina Andjelkovic, basketball, business; Lina Axelsson, golf, finance; Rachel Barnett, gymnastics, kinesiology; Dacia Barr, track, information Systems; Katie Bartodziej, swimming, architecture; Brandy Blackwood, track, psychology; Audrey Bordeleau, tennis, business; Christina Burger, soccer, marketing; Devon Burger, soccer, biology; Ashley Carter, softball, recreation; Hannah Clegg, swimming, business; Samantha Cortez, gymnastics, psychology; Karla Crose, volleyball, kinesiology; Carmen Davis, soccer, criminal justice; Rebecca Davis, soccer, communication; Zenobia Davison, softball, criminal justice; Cassandra Drew, gymnastics, English; Kallie Foglesong, softball, journalism; Maryori Franco, tennis, journalism; Jessie Gordon, track, accounting; Emily Gregory, swimming, math; Sarah Gwisdala, soccer, marketing; Lindsey Hinshaw, golf, kinesiology; Dayna Huckabee, softball, kinesiology; Christina Lawrence, volleyball, animal science; Brittany Lavy, golf, undeclared; Stacy Lewis, golf, finance; Cassy Long, softball, communication; Courtney Mahon, golf, nutrition; Michelle Martin, track, nursing; Megan McCool, soccer, criminal justice; Morgan McCord, soccer, marketing; Molly Muck, swimming, biology; Iliana Pacheco, tennis, chemistry; Tiffany Redlarczyk, track, kinesiology; Tifanie Silver, swimming, animal science; Allison Singleton, basketball, accounting; Whitney Sylvan, golf, communication; Kathryn Taylor, soccer, marketing; Kathryn Thompson, gymnastics, communication; Brittney Vaughn, basketball, journalism; Rochelle Vaughn, basketball, communication.