MonticelloLive

Six University of Arkansas at Monticello student-athletes have been named to the 2008 Gulf South Conference Spring All-Academic Team, while 23 total have been placed on the academic honor roll.
 
Leading the way for UAM academically are now three-time selections Meredith Heckel and Lauren Brooks, both softball players who graduated this past May.
 
Also making the team from the UAM softball program are Jenny Dunn and Kate Brady. Representing the UAM women’s golf team are Lindsay Rymes and Kim Gibson.
 
Heckel (Hot Springs, Ark.) finished her collegiate career with a 3.92 cumulative grade point average and a degree in business.
 
She recently finished the 2008 season with a .291 batting average with 15 home runs, 34 RBI, and seven doubles.

This marks her third consecutive selection the all-academic team.
 
Heckel also made the All-GSC first team in each season of her four-year career at UAM, in which she leaves the program in first place in career and single-season home runs, along with career at-bats, career runs scored, career hits, and several other first place and top 10 finishes.
 
Brooks (West Monroe, La.) finished her collegiate career with an almost perfect 3.98 cumulative GPA and a degree in exercise science.
 
This selection marks the third consecutive for this team, along with two selections to the NFCA and ESPN The Magazine all-academic teams.
 
Brady (Longview, Texas) earns her second consecutive GSC all-academic award after finishing her senior year with a 3.50 cumulative GPA and a degree in business administration/marketing.
 
Brady finished the 2008 season with a 14-11 record that included four straight wins in the last week of the regular season that earned her GSC West pitcher of the week honors. Three of those wins were complete game shutouts.
 
Dunn (Adelaide, Australia) earns her first selection after finishing her career at UAM with a 3.39 cumulative GPA and a degree in accounting.
 
Dunn finished the 2008 season with a .279 batting average with three home runs and six doubles.
 
Despite her first GSC selection, Dunn has earned two selections to the NFCA and EPSN The Magazine all-academic teams throughout her career.
 
Rymes (Regina, Saskatchewan) earns her first selection to the team after compiling a 3.98 GPA, while teammate Gibson (Dodd City, Texas) also earns a spot after finishing her sophomore season with a 3.63 cumulative GPA.
 
Student-athletes are selected to the GSC All-Academic Teams by a combined effort of each school’s faculty athletic representative and sports information director. These individuals are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
 
Each student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and contributed significantly to their respective teams during the most recent season. Freshman and first-semester transfers are not eligible for this award.
 
Including these six student-athletes, UAM placed 23 on the 2008 Spring GSC Honor Roll, an award given to all student-athletes who participated during any GSC sponsored spring sport and have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
 
Representing UAM’s baseball team are Craig Caldwell (3.62), Michael Diffie (3.07), Richard Eberle (3.05), Matt Gardner (3.07), Josh Hathcox (3.57), Ben Miller (3.10) and David Nix (3.40).
 
From the men’s golf team, the selections are Travis Fifi (3.71) and Camron Hurst (3.42).
 
Joining Rymes and Gibson on the women’s golf team is Rebecca Smith (3.12).
 
Joining Heckel, Brooks, Brady and Dunn from the softball team are K.K. Calloway (3.21), Heather Greer (3.70), Savanah Morin (3.15), Lindsey Randall (3.30), Becca Sustaire (3.20), Kayla Temple (3.61) and Becca Tipton (3.28).
 
Valdosta State and Christian Brothers tied for the league lead of 40 selections to the honor roll.