Jan. 19, 2006

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State landed 35 of its student-athletes on the fall academic all-Western Athletic Conference teams it was announced on Thursday. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have completed at least one academic year, have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's contests.

USU's 35 honorees, were just shy of Fresno State's league-best 37 selections. Boise State was second with 36 picks, while Idaho and Hawai'I tied for fourth with 26 selections after USU.

Athletes from the sports of men's and women's cross country, football, women's soccer and women's volleyball were recognized by the league for the classroom achievements.

Eight fall Aggie athletes earned both athletic all-conference and academic honors this season. Among USU's honorees were WAC cross country individual champion Trever Ball and league runner-up Clark Bryner. Tiffany Strickland, who finished second at the WAC Cross Country Championships and Ashley Johnson, who was sixth, were also recognized for the academic success.

Charity Weston and Liz Masson, who were both first-team all-WAC selections on the field, were two of 13 Aggie soccer players recognized for their classwork. Volleyball honorable mention All-American Zuzana Cernianska was also named to the academic team.

In all, USU's seven women's cross country selections tied for the most among women's cross country teams in the league, while the 13 soccer players topped the conference's soccer teams. Football landed eight players on the team.

Utah State Fall Academic all-Western Athletic Conference Selections

Men's Cross Country

Trever Ball, Gr., Masters of EducationClark Bryner, Gr., Masters of Bio Regional Planning

Women's Cross Country

Carolyn Andrus, Sr., Elementary EducationCaroline Berry, Jr., Family Consumer Science EducationAmy Egan, Jr., Teaching/EnglishAshley Johnson, Jr., Exercise ScienceStacie Lifferth, So., CommunicationJill Steele, Sr., Exercise ScienceTiffany Strickland, Sr., Elementary Education

Football

Ben Childs, So., HistoryMalik Cin, Jr., MarketingDerek Hoke, So., Exercise ScienceTerrance Washington, Jr., FinanceJosh Anderson, So., Law and Constitutional StudiesFrank Maile, So., Exercise ScienceOtis Nelson, So., BusinessEric Sobolewski, So., Exercise Science

Soccer

Kelli Allred, So., UndeclaredRachelle Dixon, Sr., Interdisciplinary StudiesAndra Hansen, So., Elementary EducationAbby Hunt, So., UndeclaredLindsay Lauro, So., UndeclaredElizabeth Masson, Sr., FinanceTiffany Jones-McQueen, Sr,. Elementary EducationDana Peart, So., PE-TeachingShannon Ross., So. Exercise ScienceSierra Smith, Jr., Exercise ScienceChanel Blaquiere-Weddle, Sr., Social WorkCharity Weston, Jr., PE-TeachingLisa Willardson, So., Undeclared

Volleyball

Dominique Arsenault,  Jr., French TeachingZuzana Cernianska, Sr., MarketingErin Graybill, Sr., Accounting Masters ProgramElizabeth Hodge, Jr., PsychologyKelsi Thoman-Peterson, Jr., Physical Education