For Immediate Release
eureka, illinois
December 2, 2008
SLIAC Fall All-Academic Teams Announced
Ten Eureka College student-athletes have been named to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic team. To qualify for this honor, the recipient must (1) be a member of a SLIAC member school's varsity cross country, football, soccer or volleyball squad, (2) own at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average, (3) have reached at least sophomore standing and (4) have at least one full year at their current institution.
Eureka football had three individuals recognized. Senior athletic training major Sean Smith (Mendota, Ill./HS) earned All-Academic honors for the third straight year. Also an Honorable Mention All-Conference player, Smith ranked in the top ten in the league in both sacks and tackles for loss from his defensive end position. Two members of the EC offense, quarterback Nick Lindsey (Homer, Ill./Heritage) and Chris Wakid (Danvers, Ill./Eureka), also made the team. Wakid ranked eighth in the SLIAC in rushing, totaling 409 yards and six touchdowns in nine games. The junior biology major scored two touchdowns in back-to-back games versus Principia and MacMurray, including a career-high 137 yards against the Highlanders. Lindsey ranked sixth in the conference in rushing and passing, the only player in the league to rank that highly in both categories. A junior physical education major, he was also the No. 3 quarterback in the SLIAC in terms of pass efficiency.
Eureka cross country was well represented on the SLIAC All-Academic team, with two members each from the men's and women's teams. Jordan Jesse, a chemistry and music major from Varna, Ill. (Midland HS) and Jason List, a biology major from Mason City, Ill. (Illini Central HS), both made the team for the second consecutive year. Jesse brought senior leadership to the team, and finished in the top three for EC in three events. List took over two minutes off his 8K time during the season, posting his best finish at the SLIAC Championships.
Mary Ackerman (Morton, Ill./Morton) and Ashley Urish (Manito, Ill./Pekin) represented EC cross country on the women's side. A sophomore biology and occupational therapy major, Ackerman paced the Red Devils in all six meets this season, recording her best result at Principia when she took 16th out of 38 runners. In her first year on the team, Urish finished in the top three on the team in her final four races. She is a junior biology major.
Sophomore physical education major Ashley Samuels (Batavia, Ill./Aurora Central Catholic) earned All-Academic honors for the Eureka women's soccer squad. She played in 19 games, making three starts on defense. Samuels helped the Red Devils to a 9-11 record and allow 3.35 goals per game, down from 4.19 a season ago.
Two Red Devil volleyball players qualified for All-Academic honors. Junior Laura Willman, a mathematics major from Metamora, Ill. (Metamora HS), was cited for the second consecutive year. She led Eureka in digs on the season with 419 total and 3.52 digs/set. Another a mathematics major, Marisa Durley (Roanoke, Ill./Roanoke-Benson) filled many roles for the EC team, playing outside hitter, setter and back row. Like Willman, she played in all 34 matches, recording 63 kills, 91 assists, 27 aces and 171 digs.
Academic All-Conference student-athletes and other award winners from the fall sports season will be recognized at the E-Tribe Fall Sports Banquets Sunday, December 7. The banquet for cross country, soccer and volleyball is set for 1:00 pm, while the banquet for football and athletic training will start at 5:00 pm.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
Sports Information Director
Eureka College
300 E. College Avenue
Eureka, Illinois 61530
309-467-6456
bmoore@eureka.edu
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