Seven named to SEC honor roll

FAYETTEVILLE – Seven members of the Arkansas gymnastics team have been named to the Southeastern Conference Winter Academic Honor Roll, the league office has announced.

The 2009-10 honor roll is based on grades from the 2009 spring, summer and fall terms.

Razorbacks on the list include junior Stacy Bartlett (nutrition), senior Amy DeFilippo (kinesiology), senior Casey Jo Magee (kinesiology), senior Sarah Nagashima (apparel studies), sophomore Jaime Pisani (kinesiology), sophomore Genny Salvatore (art) and former team member Molly Lewis (communications), who was forced to retire due to injury.

"We want our program to be a success both athletically and academically," co-head coach René Cook says. "That group has helped us achieve both of those goals. They have worked hard in the classroom and in the gym, and we are proud of all of their accomplishments."

Any student-athlete who participates in a Southeastern Conference championship sport or a student-athlete who participates in a sport listed on his/her institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form is eligible for nomination to the honor roll. The following criteria should be followed: (1) A student-athlete must have a grade point average of 3.00 or above for either the preceding academic year (two semesters or three quarters) or have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution. (2) If a student-athlete attends summer school, his/her grade point average during the summer academic term must be included in the calculation used to determine eligibility for the honor roll. (3) Student-athletes eligible for the honor roll include those receiving an athletics scholarship, recipients of an athletics award (i.e., letterwinner) and non-scholarship student-athletes who have been on a varsity team for two seasons. (4) Prior to being nominated, a student-athlete must have successfully completed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of non-remedial academic credit toward a baccalaureate degree at the nominating institution. (5) The student-athlete must have been a member of a varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.

In its eight seasons, the Arkansas gymnastics program has earned mention on SEC-sponsored academic teams 62 times.

The Razorbacks recently completed their 2010 season by finishing 11th at the NCAA Championship. Arkansas has earned an NCAA regional bid seven straight seasons and advanced to the NCAA Championship four times, including four of the last five years and three consecutive years.

Magee capped her career by finishing second in the nation in the all-around and earning first-team All-America honors in the all-around, on bars, beam and floor. She competed for individual national championships in the all-around, on bars, beam and floor, finishing fourth on beam, tied for fifth on bars and 12th on floor.

Pisani earned first-team All-America honors on floor and vault, and second-team honors in the all-around. She won the floor title at the NCAA Championship Session II semifinal, and competed in the event finals on floor and vault, placing 10th on floor and 12th on vault.