June 25, 2008

San Bruno, CA - The WCC announced the 2008 Spring All-Academic Teams today, with Saint Mary's receiving 10 honorees from five sports. The 2008 WCC All-Academic teams honor some of the league's finest examples of the consummate scholar-athlete. To be considered, a student-athlete must earn at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to his or her team.

"I would like to congratulate all of the WCC Spring All-Academic honorees," said WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich. "They represent an impressive collection of true student athletes who are committed to the ideals of collegiate athletics exhibited by each of our member institutions."

Representing the baseball team is red-shirt freshman Justin Fazio. Fazio a Health Science major, helped the Gaels win 26 games for the second time in three years, hitting .379.

Women's rowing tallied three, juniors Sandra Pichelli, Johanna Timmer and Sierra Timmer. Pichelli is a Kinesiology major, Johanna is an Integral Liberal Arts, and Sierra is a Health Science Major and is her second time being honored. All three competed in the varsity eight boat, which placed third in the WCC Championships.

For men's golf, senior Michael McRae and sophomore Robert McRae ended the year playing in the NCAA National Championships, finishing 30th in the country. Both Michael and Robert are Economics Majors, this is the third time Michael has been named to the team.

Representing men's tennis for the second time is junior Achim Christner who is a Business Administration major. Christner was part of a team that reached the highest ranking ever for men's tennis at Saint Mary's with a No. 47 ranking by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Women's tennis rounds out the final three, with seniors Jessica Hoath and Stef Ordoveza and sophomore Nienke Strijbis. All three are Business Administration majors, and were crucial to a team that ranked as high as 35th in the nation, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.