Eight Golden Bears Earn All-MPSF Academic Honors :: Out of all five teams in the MPSF, the eight selections for the Bears are the most in the conference.

Out of all five teams in the MPSF, the eight selections for the Bears are the most in the conference.

April 23, 2008

WOODLAND, Calif. - Eight members of the California men's gymnastics team have been selected as Academic All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's scholar athletes for the 2008 season, MPSF Commissioner Al Beaird announced Tuesday.

"We're thrilled about it," Cal head coach Barry Weiner said. "The team is talented in the gym as well as in the classroom. This reflects the high academic standards here at Cal."

Receiving honors are seniors Tyler Block (conservation and resource studies), Kyle Brady (psychology), Colin Christ (mathematics), Kyle Litow (biochemistry and molecular biology), Aaron Moy (mass communications), juniors Kyson Bunthuwong (undeclared) and Evan Roth (music), and sophomore Daniel Geri (undeclared).

Out of all five teams in the MPSF, the eight selections for the Bears are the most in the conference. Stanford had six gymnasts earn academic honors, Nebraska and Oklahoma each had five, while Air Force received three.

The student-athletes were nominated for this award by their institution based on the following criteria: 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average and at least a sophomore academically, the student-athlete must have completed one full academic year at the institution prior to the season for which the award is being received and the student-athlete must have competed in 50 percent or more of the institution's competition.

Cal finished the 2008 season with a 13-12 overall record and placed third in the MPSF Championships. The Bears finished firth at the NCAA Championships. Individually, McNeill won the NCAA title on pommel horse and parallel bars. Along with McNeill, Christ earned All-America honors.