Thirty-Five Hawkeyes Earn Big Ten Academic Honors

March 27, 2008

IOWA CITY — A total of 35 University of Iowa student-athletes have been named to the 2008 Big Ten winter Academic all-Conference team. The list includes student-athletes from women’s basketball (4), men’s gymnastics (3), women’s gymnastics (5), men’s swimming and diving (7), women’s swimming and diving (10) and wrestling (6).

Senior swimmer Andrej Lenert was one of at least five winter student-athletes in the Big Ten to post a 4.0 grade-point average. The six wrestlers is that sport’s second-highest total in school history, as Iowa has crowned seven honorees five times.

To be eligible for academic all-Big Ten, student-athletes must be letterwinners and be in at least their second academic year at the institution. They must also carry a career grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Women’s Basketball (4)
Name – Year – Major – Hometown
Wendy Ausdemore – Jr. – Marketing – Neola, IA
Stacy Schlapkohl – Sr. – Health & Sports Studies/Comm. Studies – Durant, IA
Kristi Smith – Jr. Marketing – Thornton, CO
Krista VandeVenter – Sr. – Integrative Psychology – Osseo, MN

Men’s Gymnastics (3)
Name – Year – Major – Hometown
Jacob Becker – Sr. – History/Secondary Education – Northhampton, PA
Tom Buese – Sr. – Health & Sports Studies – Gainesville, FL
Diego Mercado-Austin – Jr. – Management – Tijuana, Mexico

Women’s Gymnastics (5)
Name – Year – Major – Hometown
Katie Burke – Sr. – Speech & Hearing Science – Palatine, IL
Jenny Donar – So. – Pre-Medicine – Cuba City, WI
Brittany Logan – Jr. – Psychology – Edmonton, Canada
Kara Pinjuv – Jr. – Integrative Psychology – Reno, NV
Ally Zipse – Sr. – Integrative Psychology – Fort Wayne, IN

Men’s Swimming & Diving (7)
Name – Year – Major – Hometown
Drew DeLashmutt – Jr. – Accounting – Omaha, NE
Brian Farris – So. – Interdepartmental Studies – Normal, IL
Nathan Keeling – Sr. – Management – Baraboo, WI
Andrej Lenert – Sr. – Mechanical Engineering – Iowa City, IA
Andy Miner – Jr. – Science Education – Rockford, IL
Jacob Moore – Jr. – Management – Belvidere, IL
Matt Ryan – So. – Physics – Dunlap, IL

Women’s Swimming & Diving (10)
Name – Year – Major – Hometown
Julie deBruin – So. – Pre-Business/Communication Studies – Naperville, IL
Julie Feingold – So. – Communication Studies – Munster, IN
Deidre Freeman – So. – Religious Studies/African-American Studies – Grinnell, IA
Alison Gschwend – Jr. – Health & Sports Studies/Psychology – Champaign, IL
Stacia Johns – So. – Political Science/Spanish – Williamsburg, IL
Hilary Leigh – So. – Communication Studies – Lake Forest, IL
Katie Michelau – So. – Pre-Business – Mundelein, IL
Laura Mozdzen – So. – Engineering – Gilbert, AZ
Meghan Sievertsen – Jr. – Interdepartmental Studies – Cedar Rapids, IA
Nicki Wex – So. – Pre-Medicine – Nashotah, WI

Wrestling (6)
Name – Year – Major – Hometown
Matt Ballweg – So. – Pre-Business – Waverly, IA
Jay Borschel – So. – Biology – Marion, IA
Matt Fields – Sr. – Health & Sports Studies – Lowden, IA
Dan LeClere – So. – Biology – Coggon, IA
T.H. Leet – So. – Marketing – Atlanta, GA
Brent Metcalf – So. – Sociology – Davison, MI

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