Four Horizon League volleyball players receive CoSIDA Academic All-District honors

Nov. 8, 2007

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Four senior Horizon League volleyball players were honored Thursday (Nov. 8) as the College Sports Information Directors of America announced its Academic All-District Teams, sponsored by ESPN the Magazine. The district honor marks the first step on the road to Academic All-America honors.

In District 4, Wright State University senior middle blocker Tara Geegan was selected to the First Team and was the lone representative from the Horizon League. The Illinois native holds a 4.0 grade point average in Early Childhood Education and has helped guide the Raiders into third place in the League standings with a 9-5 mark.

In District 5, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay senior Betty Slinger and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee senior Leanne Felsing received First Team All-District accolades. Slinger's First Team All-District selection is her second straight honor. The Phoenix setter sports a 3.81 gpa in human biology and ranks second among League individuals in assists (10.87 apg).

Felsing, an education major has a 3.48 grade-point average and leads the nation in triple-doubles with 15. In 2007, the Panther outside hitter has helped propel UWM to a 23-2 overall record to give the Panthers at least a share of their fifth-straight Horizon League regular-season title.

In addition, Youngstown State University senior Jessica Fraley was named to the All-District Third Team in District 4. The YSU right side hitter is a telecommunications major and holds a 3.87 gpa. She also is sixth in the League in kills (3.43 kpg).

To be eligible for Academic All-District consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale) with sophomore or higher standing both athletically and academically. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has presented Academic All-America honors to more than 14,000 student-athletes at the Division I, II, III and NAIA levels.

The First-Team selections from each of CoSIDA's eight districts across the nation are placed on the ballot for Academic All-America consideration. The men's national honor roll will be announced Nov. 19, with the women's team released the following day.

District 4 encompasses the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, while District 5 includes Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, plus the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.