June 18, 2008

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A total of 17 UC Santa Barbara spring sport athletes were named to the 2008 Big West Academic All-Conference team it was announced on Wednesday by the conference office. The student-athletes that participated in baseball, softball, men's golf, men and women's tennis, and men and women's track and field were recognized for their diligence in the classroom.

To qualify for the Academic All-Conference Team, a student-athlete must maintain a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, have attained sophomore standing academically, and competed in at least 50 percent of their team's contests. Overall, 175 student-athletes from nine universities made the cut.

The women's track and field team garnered the most recognition amongst UCSB teams this spring with seven honorees, while the men's tennis team and the softball team each garnered three awards. A total of 46 Gauchos earned Academic All-Conference accolades during the 2007-08 school year.

2007-08 UCSB Spring Sports Big West All-Academic Team Selections

BASEBALL
Chuck Huggins, Senior, Business Economics

SOFTBALL
Ericka Hansen, Senior, Business Economics
Priscilla Perez, Sophomore, Communication
Jessica Ziegler, Sophomore, Biology

MEN'S GOLF
Matt Grush, Junior, Business Economics

MEN'S TENNIS
Josh Finkelstein, Junior, Business Economics
Bijan Hejazi, Junior, Business Economics
Jack Hui, Senior, Business Economics

WOMEN'S TENNIS
Brittany Kausen, Senior, Biology

MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Matt Barkley, Senior, Mathematics

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Stephanie Garcia, Junior, Sociology
Bethany Nickless, Senior, Mathematics
Lauri Schakett, Senior, Psychology
Kayla Smith, Sophomore, Undeclared
Melanie Sonby, Senior, Spanish & Anthropology
Katie Voigtlander, Sophomore, Business Economics
Yuora Yelpaala, Senior, Business Economics