April 9, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Nine West Florida women's basketball players were selected to the Gulf South Conference All-Academic Honor Roll for the 2007-2008 basketball season. Seniors Tara Russ, Laura Davis, Karmeshia Easley, and Renee' Polk led the way for the Argos, while Junior Jessie Ivey, and Sophomores Dominique Boykins, Caitlin Salak, and Amy Drake joined the Seniors. Freshman Kimarie Bock rounded out the league leading nine honorees for the Argos. In fact, the nine selections were the most of any men's or women's winter sport team in the Gulf South Conference.

Alabama Huntsville led the men's field with seven selections, while Arkansas Tech, Christian Brothers, and Valdosta State were the second highest in women's basketball with seven apiece. The UWF men's basketball team produced five honorees, which along with the nine from the Argos Women's team, gave West Florida the top honor in the Gulf South Conference, for the most winter sports All-Academic selections with 14 total.

Alabama-Huntsville, Arkansas Tech and Delta State followed with 10 selections apiece. Qualification for this particular honor is a minimum grade point average of 3.0, along with a league selected minimum playing contribution. The nine Argos represent a variety of academic success combined with on court contributions.

Head Coach Shannan Bergen wasn't surprised that her team led the conference in academics with nine honorees, "I am proud of the team, and especially the nine that earned the recognition, as they helped our team maintain above a 3.0 GPA. It really exemplifies a true representation of the term student athlete, and I know I have a great group of kids representing all aspects of UWF, so it's not surprising that over half the team earned the honorable mention award from the conference."

Laura Davis, from Spanish Fort, Alabama, played three seasons for the Argonauts, after transferring from Mobile. She played in 85 games, starting 43 times. Davis led the conference with a 44.8 shooting percentage for three pointers her junior season, which was the 6th best in the nation. Laura made 69 three pointers as a junior, which is second best all-time in UWF history. She made 105 three pointers in her career, which ranks 7th best in Argo history. During her junior year, she was named to the first team All-GSC Academic team. She is a Sports Management major, with a 3.60 GPA.

Tara Russ completes her fourth season as an Argonaut, and this was her third selection on the All-GSC academic honor roll. Russ played in 101 games in a UWF uniform, and started 43 games in her career. Tara has accumulated 572 career points, and 345 career rebounds. She also ranks fourth best in UWF history with 75 blocked shots. As a junior, she averaged 9.9 points per game, and was named to the ALL-GSC 2nd team for the East Division, last season. Russ, is from Lake Park, Florida, and is an Exercise Science major, with a 3.60 GPA.

Renee' Polk, from Crestview, Florida, came to UWF for her senior year after playing at Langston University in Oklahoma. The versatile guard played in 25 games this season, starting twice. In the game against East Division champion, West Georgia, Renee scored nine points, with seven rebounds, and two blocked shots. Renee is a Sports Management major, with a 3.06 GPA.

Karmeshia Easley, from Mobile, Alabama, played three seasons as an Argonaut, after transferring from Spring Hill College. Easley started 37 games as an Argonaut, and scored 323 points in her career. She had 75 career steals, and 192 career assists. Her highlight game was at West Georgia her junior season, when she hit the game winning jump shot with 5 seconds remaining to give the Argos a one point victory and a berth into the conference tournament. Karmeshia is an Advertising major, with a 3.34 GPA.

Jessie Ivey completed her third season as an Argonaut, and has played in 68 games, scoring over 250 points, and has played both the guard and forward position. Jesse led the team in three point shooting percentage this past season. She is an Exercise Science major, from Jay, Florida, with a 3.24 GPA.

Dominique Boykins just finished her second season for UWF, and is a repeat honoree for the All-GSC Honor Roll. Boykins recorded a 4.0 GPA during her freshman year, and not only made the All-academic honor roll last season, but was also named the "Freshman" of the year. She is a Business major from Houston, Texas, with a 3.84 GPA. Boykins averaged 10.8 points per game during her sophomore season, and has played in every game over the past two seasons, starting 22 games.

Amy Drake completed her first season as an Argonaut, transferring from Winthrop. Playing both the point guard and wing positions, she averaged over 20 minutes per game, and led the team in assists. She scored the team high in points in four different games. Drake is a Sports Management major, from Niceville, Florida, with a 3.26 GPA.

Caitlin Salak just completed her second season for the Argos. The 6-4 forward averages one block for every 11 minutes played. Caitlin is from Mattoon, Illinois, and is an Education major, with a 3.74 GPA.

Freshman Kimarie Bock rounds out the stellar group and their academic accomplishments for the 2007-2008 Women's basketball team. Bock is from Dunedin, Florida, and averaged a rebound every three minutes of playing time. She is a Nursing major, with a 3.07 GPA.