April 5, 2012
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Three Arizona gymnasts have been recognized for Pac-10 All-Conference Academic honors, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today.
In order to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and be either a starter, or be a significant contributor to the team.
Three Arizona athletes who have done just this, as sophomore Shana Sangston was named to the All-Academic first team, and junior Aubree Cristello as well as senior Britnie Jones were named to the second team.
“I think these recognitions show the balance of our program and our athletes. Being able to succeed with both aspects of being a student athlete are important to us, and these girls have done a great job at this,” head coach Bill Ryden said.
This award is Sangston’s first conference recognition for academics. The Phoenix native bolsters a 3.76 cumulative GPA as a pre-nursing major.
“I’m proud of Shana for being first team. She works very hard at her academics and has been a critical contributor for our team on three events this season. Her performance in the gym and in school this season makes her the true definition of ‘student-athlete,’” Ryden said.
This is also Cristello’s first official academic recognition by the conference, as she earned academic honorable mention last season. Cristello is currently a pre-business major with a 3.46 cumulative GPA.
“Aubree has made a name for herself nationally on the gym floor. It is nice for everyone to see how seriously she takes her academics as well. I’m proud of her for how well she does in the classroom especially considering how well she does on a national level in her sport,” Ryden said.
Jones is a finance major possessing a cumulative 3.55 GPA. This is her third consecutive year being honored by the conference for academics, as she was All-Academic 2nd team last year as well.
"Obviously Britnie is a very dedicated student and to be honored three times by the conference is a very nice thing for both her and our program," Ryden said, “It is also a good way for her to know that throughout her career, she never let her academics slip away from her.”
All-Conference honorable mentions went out to senior Rebecca Cardenas, junior Molly Quirk and sophomore Jordan Williams.
All of the All-Academic Conference awards are as follows:
First Team
Alicia Asturias, CALSo. 3.87Undeclared
Cortni Beers, UTAHSr. 3.70Exercise and Sport Science
Ruby Engreitz, WASHSr. 3.72Psychology
Aisha Gerber, UCLASr. 3.75World Arts and Cultures
Hailee Hansen, UTAHSo. 4.00Undeclared
Stephanie McAllister, UTAHSr. 3.81Mass Communication
Shona Morgan, STANSo. 3.71Undeclared
Kahoku Palafox, ASUSr. 3.72Sustainability
Jenny Peter, STANSr. 3.64Communication
Callie Price, ASUGr. 3.92Exercise and Wellness
Shana Sangston, ARIZSo. 3.76Pre-Nursing
Megan Whitney, WASHJr. 3.78Psychology
Second Team
Aubree Cristello, ARIZJr. 3.46Pre-Business
Amanda Davies, ASUSr. 3.41Exercise and Wellness
Britnie Jones, ARIZSr. 3.55Finance
Alex Leggitt, CALSr. 3.39Anthropology
Mary Beth Lofgren, UTAHSo. 3.60Undeclared
Leslie Mak, OSUSr. 3.45Marketing
Lina Nilsson, CALSo. 3.63Undeclared
Nicole Pechanec, STANSr. 3.30Architectural Design
Samantha Peszek, UCLASo. 3.48Undeclared
Amelia Rew, ASUJr. 3.57Bioscience
Aria Rosenzweig, CALJr. 3.41Cognitive Science
Aliza Vaccher, WASHSo. 3.50Pre-Major
Women’s Gymnastics Honorable Mention All-Academic:
Hatsune Akaogi, Sr., WASH; Kaelie Baer, Sr., UCLA; Alyssa Brown, Sr., STAN; Rebecca Cardenas, R-Jr., ARIZ; Carol Chang, Jr., CAL; Amanda Cline, Jr., WASH; Dallas Crawford, So., CAL; Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, Sr., UCLA; Beate Jones, Gr., ASU; Corrie Lothrop, So., UTAH; Lucy Meyer, So., STAN; Ashley Morgan, Jr., STAN; Stina Olivere, Jr., CAL; Molly Quirk, Jr., ARIZ; Lauren Rogers, Jr., WASH; Chelsea Spomer, Jr., CAL; Phoebe Tham, Jr., WASH; Olivia Vivian, Sr., OSU; Jordan Williams, So., ARIZ; Lichelle Wong, Jr., UCLA.
