[June 10, 2008]

June 10, 2008
By: Houston Taylor

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Gulf South Conference has released the 2008 Spring All-Academic Teams, and Academic Honor Roll, which includes 34 Southern Arkansas student-athletes, six of them named to the elite conference All-Academic Teams. A total of 83 student-athletes across the league were named All-Academic, including eight three-time selections, and 17 who were members of the 2007 team.

The GSC All-Academic Teams are nominated by the conference sports information directors (SIDs), and selected by the SIDs and faculty athletic representatives in a joint vote. Nominees must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 or better on a 4.00 scale for their entire academic career and may not be a freshman or first-semester transfers.

Members of the GSC Academic Honor Roll must post a minimum of a cumulative 3.00 GPA and have competed during their respective season. All student-athletes, including freshmen and first-semester transfers, are eligible for the honor roll.

All-Academic Team honorees from SAU are James (Pat) Robey in baseball, Samantha Hoelscher, Joanna Jones, and Cheyenne Savony in softball, and Caitlin Korensek and Rachel Vinsant in women’s tennis.

Robey, a 5-9, 170-pound shortstop from Longview, Texas, is a human performance, recreation and community service major, who sports a 3.37 GPA in garnering his first all-academic team honor. The senior is now a two-time member of the GSC Academic Honor Roll and a member of both the Southern Arkansas President’s List (4.00 GPA) and Dean’s List (minimum 3.50 GPA). Robey was a Daktronics Second Team All-South Central Region pick on the field this season, was also a First Team All-GSC honoree, and was named once as the GSC West Division Player of the Week. Robey hit .371 this season with 18 doubles, two triples, two home runs, and 59 RBI, and led the squad with 86 hits, 45 walks, nine sacrifice flies, and 30 stolen bases.

A 5-5 outfielder out of Columbus, Texas, Hoelscher posted a 3.26 GPA in exercise science. Now a two-time member of the GSC Academic Honor Roll, the senior has also been named twice to the SAU Dean’s List. Playing in all 41 games this season, Hoelscher hit .282 with three doubles, three home runs, and 15 RBI, and led the team with 12 sacrifice hits, and outfielders with a .980 fielding percentage.

Jones, a 5-5 second baseman from Needville, Texas, had a 3.83 GPA and graduated Magna Cum Laude in May with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in sociology. She was recently selected ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-District VI and is now a two-time member of the GSC Academic Honor Roll. Jones is a member of the SAU President’s List and a three-time member of the Dean’s List. Named First Team All-GSC the past two seasons, she led the Lady Muleriders this year in hitting .392 with six home runs, 29 runs scored, a .600 slugging percentage and .444 on-base percentage, and 23 stolen bases. Jones added six doubles, one triple, and 16 RBI from her leadoff spot.

A 5-6 senior pitcher and outfielder out of Kilgore, Texas, Savony has a 3.95 GPA in athletic training and earns all-academic laurels for the second consecutive year. She was selected last month as first team on the prestigious ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI team. Savony is now a four-time member of the GSC Academic Honor Roll, and is a six-time member of the Southern Arkansas President’s List and four-time member of the SAU Dean’s List. A first team all-conference pick this season, she led the squad with eight doubles and 14 walks, and hit .319 with one home run, 14 RBI, and scored 15 runs. Savony was 5-12 in the circle this year with a 4.12 ERA and led the team with 66 strikeouts in 28 appearances.

Korensek, a sophomore from Ennis, Texas, recorded a 3.79 GPA in inclusive early childhood education. As a freshman last season she was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete. Twice a member of the GSC Academic Honor Roll, Korensek is also a two-time member of both the SAU President’s and Dean’s Lists. She led the 2008 team in both singles and doubles, posting an 11-3 record in singles, including 8-0 at No. 4, and 8-8 in doubles with an 8-7 mark at No. 2.

A senior out of Greenville, Texas, Vinsant tops the GSC West Division women’s tennis all-academic squad as a three-time honoree, one of eight selected on the spring teams. She racked up a 3.95 GPA, graduating Summa Cum Laude in May with a B.S. in biological science and a minor in Spanish. Selected the past two years to the ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District VI team, Vinsant is also is a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete honoree. She received the 2008 Southern Arkansas Scholar-Athlete award and is now a four-time member of the GSC Academic Honor Roll. Vinsant is a six-time member of the SAU President’s List and a two-time member of the Dean’s List. A four-time All-GSC performer on the court, Vinsant was a second team selection this season. She had a 9-5 record in singles (7-2 at No. 3) and was 7-9 in doubles (7-6 at No. 2) play.

Of the 15-member institutions in the GSC, Harding and Valdosta State each had 10 student-athletes named to the All-Academic Teams, followed by Ouachita Baptist with eight, while Southern Arkansas, Arkansas-Monticello, North Alabama, and West Florida placed six apiece on the teams.

Mulerider baseball team members joining Robey on the GSC Academic Honor Roll include Adam Anderson, a junior with a 3.61 in history; Brian Byrd, a junior with a 3.20 in business administration-finance; Tim Dellwo, a junior with a 3.71 in exercise science; Preston Despain, a junior with a 3.71 in health, kinesiology & recreation (HKR); Blake Fulenwider, a freshman with a 3.38 in mathematics; Curtis Gibson, a junior with a 3.10 in business administration-organizational management; Brandon Graves, a junior with a 3.12 in HKR; Matthew Hodges, a red-shirt freshman with a 3.46 in political science; Cannon Lester, a sophomore with a 3.06 in physical education, wellness and leisure; Brendan McDonald, a junior with a 3.30 in mass communications-print journalism; Brandon Miller, a red-shirt freshman with a 3.68 in pre-pharmacy; James Schroeder, a junior with a 3.48 in HKR; and Thomas Tillery, a junior with a 3.14 in HKR.

Members of the men’s golf team making the honor roll are John Crowley, a junior with a 3.83 in business administration-finance; Thomas (T.C.) Graham, a junior with a 3.15 in HKR; and Drew Webster, a senior with a 3.15 in exercise science.

Lady Mulerider golf team members on the honor roll include Tabatha Neely, a senior with a 3.02 in HKR; Chelsea Roach, a sophomore with a 3.41 in pre-physical therapy; and Whitney Taylor, a freshman with a 3.25 in psychology.

Joining Hoelscher, Jones, and Savony on the softball honor roll are Alexandra Doyle, a freshman with a 3.90 in pre-physical therapy; Megan Holliday, a freshman with a 3.00 in pre-dentistry; Sarah Holub, a freshman with a 4.00 in mass communications-digital media; Tancy Matthews, a freshman with a 3.06 in business administration-marketing; Kirstie Reed, a senior with a 3.15 in business administration-marketing; and Meghan Sims, a junior with a 3.40 in HKR.

Other members of the SAU women’s tennis team joining Korensek and Vinsant on the honor roll include Aneeka Bhalla, a senior with a 3.73 in biological science; Meaghan Ocanas, a freshman with a 4.00 in exercise science; and Megan Phinny, a sophomore with a 3.21 in exercise science.

Of the 15-member institutions in the GSC, West Florida had 44 student-athletes named to the conference Academic Honor Roll, Harding had 39, Valdosta State had 37, Christian Brothers had 35, and Southern Arkansas had 34.