Oct. 24, 2008

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini earned CSCAA Division 1 Academic All-American honors for their performance in the classroom during the 2007-08 season. The team GPA of 3.47 ranked the Orange and Blue at No. 11 on the list of top GPAs in the nation and at the top of the Big Ten conference.

"I am very proud of the effort that the 2007-08 team put into their classroom work," head coach Sue Novitsky said. "They aimed high with their academic team goal and to see them come out as one of the best in the country is fantastic."

Seniors Marissa Clapp and Katie Theissen received CSCAA 2007-08 Honorable Mention Academic All-American honors for their outstanding achievements in the classroom. Clapp, a kinesiology major, earned a 4.0 GPA last semester, while Theissen, an education major, earned a 3.69.

"It is especially gratifying to see them succeed even when we had to travel to all of our competitions and travel all over the place to practice during the ARC renovation project," Novitsky said.