Jan. 23, 2009

(San Bruno, Calif.) - Five Dons have been named to the 2008 West Coast Conference Fall All-Academic Team, as announced by the conference office Friday. A pair of Women's Cross Country runners were awarded the honor, as were representatives from Volleyball, Men's Soccer and Women's Soccer.

Men's soccer's Eric Conner earned his first academic honor thanks to a 3.76 GPA in Sociology.

Sophomores Nicole Bowler and Laurel Kleiber, a WCC Honorable Mention honoree, represented the USF Cross Country team. Bowler earned the honor thanks to a 3.27 GPA in International Studies, while Kleiber maintains a 3.28 GPA while studying Entrepreneurship.

Darcy Carroll was the lone member of the Volleyball team represented on the list. The senior earned the honor with a 3.31 GPA in Business Marketing.

Rounding out USF honorees was Kristina Hall, a junior on the Women's Soccer team, thanks to a 3.28 GPA while studying Architecture.

The 2008 West Coast Conference Fall All-Academic teams honor some of the league's finest examples of the consummate scholar-athlete. At the completion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each of the participating sponsored sports. 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.

"The West Coast Conference is proud to honor these extraordinary student-athletes who prove that athletic success can be achieved without compromising academic excellence," said WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovch. "These nominees personify the core values of our member institutions and they should all be congratulated for their efforts."