MOUNT PLEASANT - Nine members of the Central Michigan women’s gymnastics team earned Scholastic All-America awards from the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women for their strong performance in the classroom during the 2011-12 academic year.

Senior Kristin Teubner (3.66 GPA/health fitness); juniors Kari Dieffenderfer (3.94/health fitness) and Emily LaFontaine (3.79/health fitness); sophomores Brittany Petzold (3.88/undecided), Meaghan McWhorter (3.62/political science) and Emily Heinz (3.77/undecided); and freshmen Taylor Noonan (3.62/undecided), Kylie Fagan (3.69/undecided) and Tori Garcia (3.56/undecided) all earned the distinction for the Chippewas, and were among the 471 total honorees.

"We are extremely pleased we had so many nationally recognized student-athletes," head coach Jerry Reighard said. "Our student-athletes work very hard in the gym and to take that and combine it with what they accomplish in the classroom to maintain such high GPA marks shows me they are going to be very successful in their futures."

To receive the award, an individual must have earned a cumulative or year-long GPA of 3.5 or higher. The team posted a cumulative 3.245 GPA.

The nine honorees is the second highest in a single season in program history, surpassed only by the Chippewas’ 13 honorees in 2011.

Teubner, who finished her career at CMU in 2011-12, was recognized for the fourth consecutive season.
Dieffenderfer and LaFontaine are now three-time honorees, and the 2012 award is the second for Petzold, McWhorter and Heinz. Dieffenderfer’s 3.94 GPA ranks her 86th overall in the country and eighth in the MAC.

In total, 113 Central Michigan gymnasts have earned the Scholastic All-America distinction since 1991.