Fall 2016 Academic All-SoCon team announced

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Three hundred and twenty-one student-athletes earned spots on the Fall 2016 Academic All-Southern Conference Team, the league office announced Tuesday.

Each of the SoCon’s 10 institutions had at least 21 honorees, representing the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball.

To be eligible for the academic all-conference team, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average at the conclusion of the fall semester and were required to compete in at least one-half of their teams’ competitions during the recently concluded campaign. In addition, the student-athletes must have successfully completed at least three semesters at their institutions, making true freshmen and first-year transfers ineligible for inclusion.

Nine student-athletes have maintained perfect 4.0 cumulative GPAs, including ETSU’s Macy Carrier (women’s cross country); Mercer’s Courtney Czerniak (women’s cross country), Corey Lockett (football) and Victoria Penrod (volleyball); UNCG’s Brandon King (men’s cross country) and Allison Penner (volleyball); Samford’s Mitchell Smith (football); Chattanooga’s Maddison Melchionna (women’s cross country); and Wofford’s Katie Beuerlein (women’s soccer).

The league’s nine football teams led the way with 90 academic all-conference selections, while the 10 women’s soccer schools were second with 85 and the nine volleyball programs were third with 47.

Mercer led all schools with 52 members on the academic all-conference team, while ETSU was second with 45 and Western Carolina was third with 35.

-www.SoConSports.com-