Ten Spartans Earn NACGC/W All-Academic Honors

Aug. 10, 2007

STANFORD, Calif. - The National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) announced the final academic team and individual rankings for the 2006-2007 academic year for the nation's collegiate women's gymnastics teams on Thursday, where Michigan State ranked 20th with an overall team GPA of 3.369. MSU was the highest ranked team among Big Ten Conference competitors and placed 10 student-athletes on the NACGC/W All-Academic team, an all-time MSU high. Rankings are calculated by determining a weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale that creates a relevant measure for comparison among all the universities in the U.S. Individuals must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher in an academic year in order to be named all-academic.

Receiving NACGC/W All-Academic accolades for MSU were Rhiannon Banda-Scott, Megan Bergland (4.0), Kristen Coleman (4.0), Melanie Hunt, Victoria Iakounina (4.0), Bethany Little, Megan McNally (4.0), Kelly Moffitt (4.0), Jaclyn Obrien and Katlyn Roggensack.

"The coaching staff is very proud of the accomplishments the gymnasts achieved academically last season," MSU head coach Kathie Klages said. "Having 10 gymnasts named NACGC/W All-Academic is a record at MSU. We are also pleased with the overall team ranking of 20th in the nation. We challenge our student-athletes not only in the gym, but also in the classroom. We commend our team for rising to this challenge and admire their dedication to excellence in the classroom."

This year's team academic national champion was Southeast Missouri State (SEMO), led by head coach Tom Farden. The Redhawks finished the year with a team GPA of 3.74 and nine individual NACGC/W All-Academic awards. SEMO edged out University of Denver (3.736) and Southern Utah University (3.733).

This year, there were more than 100 female collegiate gymnasts with 4.0 GPAs and over 400 individuals who received NACGC/W All-Academic status, as well as 60 teams with GPAs over a 3.0.

Since the 1989 season, Michigan State has earned 70 selections, honoring 36 student-athletes, to the NACGC/W All-Academic team.