March 11, 2008

WASHINGTON - The American University field hockey team has been recognized nationally for its academic achievements for the 2007 season. The team, as well as 13 individuals, were acknowledged by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association for their academic excellence.

American University finished second in the 2007 ZAG/NFHCA National Academic Team Award results with a 3.51 team GPA. The Eagles finished behind Old Dominion, who held the top spot with a 3.68 GPA. This is the second year in a row AU has been ranked in the two-spot for this award and is the fourth consecutive semester the team held a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The current squad has a cumulative GPA of 3.46.

The National Academic Team Award recognizes those institutions that achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 during the first semester of the 2007-08 academic year.

The Eagles also placed 13 student-athletes on the Collegiate National Academic Squad. The National Academic Squad program recognizes those collegiate student-athletes who have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 through the first semester of the 2007-08 academic year.

The following individuals earned the distinction: Carly Boyce, Rachel Carney, Anne Meike de Wiljes, Ashley Foley, Kirstin Gebhart, Savannah Graybill, Maggie Hall, Jesika Pufnock, Irene Schickhardt, Emily Stovicek, Katie Turner, Anne van Erp and Hannah Weitzman.