Gymnastics: Five Earn Scholastic All-America Honor
August 05, 2009 04:13 PM | General
August 5, 2009
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| Kiersten Spoerke |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Five West Virginia University gymnasts were named Scholastic All-Americans for the 2008-09 academic year, as announced yesterday by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W).
Additionally, the Mountaineers ranked 29th overall for the second-consecutive year with a cumulative team grade point average (GPA) of 3.3254.
The five individual honors boost the program’s numbers to 67 honorees in 35 years.
“I am always thrilled to see our team excel both in competition and in the classroom,” coach Linda Burdette says. “These girls are just as dedicated to their studies as they are to their skills and deserve the recognition they receive for their hard work.”
Rising junior Stephanie Keaton was one of 67 student-athletes to earn the 2009 honor with a 4.0 GPA. The fashion merchandising major received the award for the second-straight year.
Graduate Heather Izer (speech pathology and audiology) and rising senior Kiersten Spoerke (mechanical engineering) each earned her third honor. Spoerke’s classmate, Shelly Purkat (human nutrition and foods), received her second-straight award, while rising sophomore Jenn Sharon (child development and family studies) was awarded her first.
Scholastic All-America status is awarded as a result of GPAs of 3.5 or better for the year.
The NACGC/W is the national association for women’s collegiate gymnastics coaches. The association seeks to actively manage and develop the sport of women’s gymnastics at the collegiate level and works with the NCAA and USA Gymnastics in order to provide the best possible experience for student-athletes.
