Thursday, November 10, 2011

MACON, Ga. – The Atlantic Sun Conference honored Tessa Hoefle of Lipscomb University as the Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year to highlight the league’s inaugural Academic All-Conference team.

A First Team All-Atlantic Sun selection, Hoefle finished fifth at the A-Sun Women’s Cross Country Championships and helped lead the Bisons to their first A-Sun title in 2011. Lipscomb currently ranks sixth in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll.

The A-Sun women’s cross country Runner of the Year, USC Upstate’s Jemeli Sang, also landed on the Academic All-Conference team with a GPA of 3.45. Sang claimed the individual title at the A-Sun Women’s Cross Country Championships with a time of 17:20.90.

The A-Sun introduced the new sport-by-sport Academic All-Conference teams this fall to recognize student-athletes who embody the conference’s mission of Building Winners for Life. All the members of the team boast a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or better and participated in at least half of their team’s matches.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY SCHOLAR-ATHLETE of the YEAR
Tessa Hoefle, Lipscomb University
Sophomore | GPA: 4.0 | Major: English | Hometown: Winnebago, Ill.
• Helped Lipscomb win its first ever Women’s Cross Country Championship, finishing fifth individually
• Recorded career-best 17:51.24 in five kilometer race at Greater Louisville Classic (10/1/11)
• First-Team All-Atlantic Sun

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Tessa Hoefle, Lipscomb (Sophomore | GPA: 4.0 | English)
Ashley Lehman, Lipscomb (Senior | GPA: 3.97 | Elementary Education)
Kacie Niemann, Mercer (Junior | GPA: 3.97 | Biology)
Jemeli Sang, USC Upstate (Senior | GPA: 3.45 | Chemistry)
Nicole Muldowney, Belmont (Junior | GPA: 3.68 | Mathematics)
Christina Kivi, Mercer (Senior | GPA: 4.0 | Art)
Erin Nixon, North Florida (Senior | GPA: 3.62 | English)

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University