Green Bay Athletes Sweep Scholar-Athlete Honors

Jan. 15, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS -

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University of Wisconsin-Green Bay junior Mike Schachtner (men's basketball) and Green Bay senior Kari Helland (women's diving) have been named the U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athletes of the Week, League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone announced Tuesday (Jan. 15).

Schachtner averaged a team-best 22.5 points per game in a pair of narrow road defeats last week. At Valparaiso University on Saturday (Jan. 12), Schachtner was two points shy of his career high with 34 points, the highest output by a Phoenix player this year, and was 12-for-17 from the field, including a perfect 7-for-7 from behind the arc. His three-point effort against Valpo was the best three-point shooting percentage in school history. He totaled 45 points in 51 minutes of play over the two games, and was a perfect 8-of-8 from three-point range. Schachtner currently leads the Horizon League in scoring (18.3 points per game), and free throw percentage (.889), while ranking second in three-point percentage (.500).

As a psychology major, Schachtner owns a 3.799 grade-point average. He has received numerous academic honors this season, including being named the U.S. Army Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Nov. 20, and the League's Scholar-Athlete of the Month for November. Last year, he was also named to the Academic All-League Team, Division I-AAA's 11-player Scholar-Athlete Team, and ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA's Third-Team Academic All-America.

Helland won both diving events against the University of Illinois at Chicago on Saturday, making her the lone two-event winner at the meet. She claimed the one-meter event with a score of 252.30 and the three-meter board with a 260.40 total, helping the Phoenix to its seventh-straight victory this season.

In the classroom, Helland carries a 3.678 grade-point average as a business administration major. Last year, she was named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll.

The Horizon League instituted the U.S. Army Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards as a way to recognize outstanding academic and athletic achievement by its student-athletes. To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or better (on a 4.00 scale), have completed at least one year at the member institution and passed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours, and perform well during the week's competition. Winners are selected by a group of League faculty athletic representatives, from nominations provided by sports information directors.

OTHER MALE NOMINEES:

A.J. Graves, Butler (basketball, senior, 3.349, math) helped the Bulldogs to three straight Horizon League victories last week, averaging 10.3 points and 3.3 rebounds for the week. In Thursday's (Jan. 10) 74-65 win over Green Bay, Graves had 13 points, three boards, two assists and one steal, and then scored his 500th career field goal to finish with 11 points and four rebounds in a victory over Milwaukee on Saturday (Jan. 12).

Stephen Grove, Cleveland State (swimming, sophomore, 3.82, mechanical engineering) helped the Vikings to a sweep of Canisius, Duquesne and Xavier on Saturday at Busbey Natatorium, winning the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.92, and leading the 200-yard freestyle relay team to victory by posting a time of 21.82 on the leadoff leg. He also finished third in the 100-yard butterfly (52.32).

Andrew Hayner, Detroit (indoor track, senior, 4.00, political science and history) was the only Titan to win an event at the EMU Invitational last week, as he posted a personal-best 8:53.06 in the 3,000-meter race. His time was the eighth-best mark in school history.

Tom Levin, Loyola (basketball, senior, 3.67, finance) grabbed three rebounds and a steal in a double-overtime loss at UIC on Saturday. He also had a pair of boards and a steal in a 66-55 loss at No. 14 Butler on Monday (Jan. 7).

Samuel Haanpää, Valparaiso (basketball, sophomore, 3.724, international business) averaged 13.0 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game last week for Valpo. He led all players with eight rebounds against Milwaukee on Thursday, and paced the Crusaders with 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting in an 82-73 victory over Green Bay on Saturday.

OTHER FEMALE NOMINEES:

Angel Roque, Cleveland State (basketball, sophomore, 3.77, undecided) had a great week for the Vikings, averaging 11.5 points per game in losses to Green Bay and Milwaukee. In Thursday's 87-61 defeat to Green Bay, Roque scored a career-high 15 points, hitting a career-best five three-pointers. She came back Saturday at Milwaukee to finish with eight points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists.

Keisha Collins, Loyola (basketball, sophomore, 3.23, marketing) averaged 10.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals as Loyola split a pair of games last week. She handed out five assists and grabbed eight boards in a 61-50 loss to Butler on Thursday, and registered 16 points, four assists and two steals in a 64-60 victory over Valpo on Saturday, where she also hit 5-of-8 from the field and was perfect from three-point range (4-for-4).

Launa Hochstetler, Valparaiso (basketball, junior, 3.744, accounting and finance) averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 assists per game for Valpo last week. She scored 15 points in the Crusaders' 72-63 victory over UIC on Thursday, and added nine more in the 64-60 loss to Loyola on Saturday. She made 4-of-7 three-pointers at UIC, and tied a career-high with eight assists at Loyola after dishing out seven at UIC and only committing five turnovers on the week.

PREVIOUS U.S. ARMY SCHOLAR-ATHLETES:

Aug. 28,Nina Inic (Butler, volleyball)
Sept. 5,Ryan Miller (Green Bay, cross country); Liz Fazio (Cleveland State, volleyball)
Sept. 11,Chris Honig (Valparaiso, cross country); Katarina Hanackova (UIC, volleyball)
Sept. 18,Malcolm DeBaun (Loyola, soccer); Betty Slinger (Green Bay, volleyball)
Sept. 25,Markian Zyga (Loyola, soccer); Sara Hughes (Valparaiso, volleyball)
Oct. 2,Kent Wories (Butler, cross country); Ani Michl (Valparaiso, soccer)
Oct. 9,Zeke Dombrowski (Milwaukee, soccer); Lotte Rasmussen (Green Bay, soccer)
Oct. 16,Kent Wories (Butler, cross country); Amanda Stinson (Green Bay, soccer)
Oct. 23,Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Alyse Serritella (Loyola, volleyball)
Oct. 30,Steve Grove (Cleveland State, swimming); Genni Gardner (Butler, cross country)
Nov. 6,Steve Grove (Cleveland State, swimming); Beth Steuer (Milwaukee, soccer)
Nov. 13,Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Cynthia Morote-Ariza (Loyola, soccer)
Nov. 20,Mike Schachtner (Green Bay, basketball); Mel Snyder (Cleveland State, volleyball)
Nov. 27,AJ Graves (Butler, basketball); Kailey Klein (Cleveland State, basketball)
Dec. 4,Drew Streicher (Butler, basketball); Ashley Hall (Milwaukee, diving)
Dec. 11,Jake Diebler (Valparaiso, basketball); Ashley Hall (Milwaukee, diving)
Dec. 18,Samuel Haanpää (Valparaiso, basketball); Leah Hochstetler (Valparaiso, basketball)
Jan. 8,Ryan Tillema (Green Bay, basketball); Kayla Groh (Green Bay, basketball)