SoCon announces Spring Academic All-Conference

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Three hundred and ninety student-athletes accounted for 474 spots on the Spring 2016 Academic All-Southern Conference Team, the league office announced Monday.

Each of the SoCon’s 10 full-time institutions had at least 21 honorees, representing the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, wrestling, men’s and women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, baseball and softball. Associate members for men’s lacrosse and wrestling were also eligible for the award, accounting for 41 of the selections.

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 spring semester – a change from the previous criteria that was based on the GPA entering the semester of competition – and were required to compete in at least one-half of their teams’ competitions. 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.

With the GPA component now based off of the student-athletes’ averages at the end of the semester of competition, the Winter Academic All-SoCon team was eliminated, resulting in several track and field student-athletes appearing in the spring list twice, once each for the indoor and outdoor seasons. ETSU’s Malloree Schurr, who plays women’s basketball and softball, also earned double inclusion.

Sixteen student-athletes combined for 22 of the perfect 4.0 cumulative GPAs, including Air Force’s Sheamus Larking (men’s lacrosse); The Citadel’s Jackson Pride (men’s tennis); ETSU’s Brooke Baxter (softball) and Macy Carrier (women’s indoor and outdoor track and field); High Point’s Tyler Cook (men’s lacrosse); Mercer’s Conner Herd (baseball) and Courtney Czerniak (women’s outdoor track and field); UNCG’s Brandon King (men’s indoor and outdoor track and field) and Warren Bryan (men’s tennis); Samford’s Haley Harrington (women’s golf); Chattanooga’s Megan Woods (women’s golf), Maddison Melchionna (women’s indoor and outdoor track and field) and Keeley Stewart (women’s indoor and outdoor track and field); and Western Carolina’s Korrie Bennett (women’s indoor and outdoor track and field), Laney Browder (women’s indoor and outdoor track and field) and Kendra Henry (women’s indoor track and field).

The league’s 10 women’s outdoor track and field programs led the way with 71 academic all-conference selections, while the nine institutions that sponsor women’s indoor track and field produced 59. The eight men’s lacrosse teams were third with 47 honorees, followed closely by the nine baseball schools with 46.

Western Carolina led all schools with 62 spots on the academic all-conference team, while Samford was second with 57 and Chattanooga was third with 51.

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