SoCon announces Fall Academic All-Conference team

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Three hundred and eleven student-athletes earned spots on the Fall 2015 Academic All-Southern Conference Team, the league office announced Tuesday.

Each of the SoCon’s 10 institutions had at least 24 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 – 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 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.

Twelve student-athletes have maintained perfect 4.0 cumulative GPAs, including The Citadel’s Charles Braddock (men’s cross country) and Joe Crochet (football); ETSU’s Macy Carrier (women’s cross country); Furman’s Lauren Pinion (women’s soccer); Mercer’s Courtney Czerniak (women’s cross country), Zechariah Rice (football) and Victoria Penrod (volleyball); UNCG’s Brandon King (men’s cross country) and Noah DeAngelo (men’s soccer); Chattanooga’s Maddison Melchionna (women’s cross country); Western Carolina’s Laney Browder (women’s cross country); and Wofford’s Katie Beuerlein (women’s soccer).

The league’s eight football teams led the way with 81 academic all-conference selections, while the 10 women’s soccer schools were second with 74 and the nine volleyball programs were third with 48.

Mercer led all schools with 50 members on the academic all-conference team, while Wofford was second with 38 and The Citadel and Furman tied for third with 31 each.

-www.SoConSports.com-