BAY CITY, Mich. - The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has announced the 2015-16 Spring All-Academic and Academic Excellence Teams. A total of 1,111 student-athletes achieved all-academic recognition with 562 on the All-Academic Team and 549 on the All-Academic Excellence list.
Criteria states the student-athlete must be an active member on the roster at the end of the season, not a freshman or a first year transfer student. The All-Academic Team is comprised of student-athletes who meet the criteria of not being a freshman or first-year transfer student and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.0-3.49. The All-Academic Excellence Team is comprised of student-athletes who have met the criteria and obtained a 3.50-4.0 cumulative GPA.
Lake Superior State features 14 student-athletes earning GLIAC All-Academic honors and 15 student-athletes that achieved GLIAC All-Academic Excellence for the spring from the men's and women's outdoor track and field teams, as well as softball, men's golf and men's tennis.
Men's outdoor track and field senior Benjamin Deuling (Muskegon, Mich./ Orchard View H.S.), a biology major, and women's outdoor track and field sophomore McKenzie Richardson (Muskegon, Mich./ Reeths-Puffer H.S.), a nursing student, each earned All-Academic Excellence for the third-consecutive semester after earning the honors for indoor track and field in the winter and cross country in the fall.
Other repeat nominees from the Winter All-Academic Excellence list include men's outdoor track and field seniors Nolin Livingston (Sand Creek, Mich./ Sand Creek H.S./ Manufacturing Engineering Technology) and Sean Suehr (White Lake, Mich./ Lakeland H.S./ Mathematics), as well as junior sprinter Oshane Thomas (St. Thomas, Jamaica/ Kingston College/Biochemistry).
The men's outdoor track and field team featured a pair of repeat honorees from the winter to the spring All-Academic list in sophomore Zachary Cameron (South Boardman, Mich./ Kalkaska H.S./ Fire Science) and junior Yazin Joseph (Pickering, Mich./ Pickering/ Communications). Sophomore Jonathon Meier (Twin Lake, Mich./ Reeths-Puffer H.S./ Fisheries and Wildlife Management) also earned All-Academic accolades for the spring.
From the women's outdoor track team sophomores Rachel Leggett (Manton, Mich./ Manton H.S./ Fisheries and Wildlife Management), Julianna Weir joined senior Miranda Emaus (Hudsonville, Mich./ Hudsonville/ Chemistry) on the spring list after earning the honors during the winter indoor track and field season. Junior Jasmine Mata (Monroe, Mich./Monroe/Psychology) also earned All-Academic Excellence honors in the spring after earning All-Academic honors in the winter.
Repeating after earning fall and winter All-Academic honors were sophomore Trudie Mulville (Mason, Mich./ Mason/ Nursing) and juniors Hannah Passino (Indian River, Mich./ Inland Lakes H.S./ Business Administration- Management) and Rachel Peabody (Thompsonville, Mich./ Benzie Central H. S./ Elementary Education) from the women's outdoor track and field team.
The softball team featured four All-Academic Excellence qualifiers in the spring. Sophomores Taylor Steinhelper (Waterford, Mich./ Kettering H.S./ Exercise Science) and Lindsey Pajot (Howell, Mich./ Hartland H.S./ Mechanical Engineering) were joined by juniors Carly Banchiu (Waterford, Mich./ Mott H.S./ Business Administration- Management) and Emily Estep (Onaway, Mich./Onaway/ Biology).
Three members of the softball team also earned All-Academic honors with sophomores Teryn Williams (Niles, Mich./ Edwardsburg H.S./ Parks and Recreation) and Riley Durbano (Barrie, Ont. Innisdale Secondary/ Athletic Training), as well as senior Alyssa Boucher (Canton, Mich./ Canton/ Business Administration- Management).
Sophomore Mitchell Toth (Simcoe, Ont./ Holy Trinity Catholic/ Accounting) and junior Joe Ericson (Utica, Mich./ Henry Ford II/ Finance & Economics) represented the men's golf team as the two recipients of GLIAC All-Academic Excellence honors.
Sophomores Sam Eberts (Cedarville, Mich./ Les Chenaux/ Geology) and Jason Kerr (Pattaya, Thailand/ International School of Eastern Seaboard/ Finance & Economics) represented the men's golf team and GLIAC All-Academic recipients.
Men's tennis rounded out the list with three sophomores earning All-Academic honors: Stephen Prica (Escanaba, Mich./ Escanaba/ Accounting), Jake Prime (Doncaster, U.K./ Sports and Recreation Management), and Alec Tuchowski (Kingsford, Mich./ Kingsford/ Nursing).