MOUNT PLEASANT – Central Michigan's field hockey program earned further recognition for the academic prowess of its student-athletes, as a nation-best fifteen players were named to the 2011 Gladiator by SGI/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I National Academic Squad.
Only three other field hockey programs from across the nation – Appalachian State, Brown, and Hofstra – matched the number of CMU entries on the National Academic Squad, and none surpassed it.
The National Academic Squad is reserved for those athletes who earned a 3.30 GPA or higher after the first semester of the 2011-2012 academic year.
As a team, the Chippewas boast the fourth-highest cumulative GPA in the country at 3.47.
Paulina Lee and Anastasia Netto were named to the team for the fourth consecutive year, while this season marks three in a row for Erin Dye and Emily Girasole.
Brittany Burga, Alexis Gersbach, Simone Lazar, Julianna Makrinos, Bailey McKeon, Ellen Riley and Skylar VanNatta were each named to the team for two consecutive years.
Jordyn Brengosz, Tiffany Cioppi, Alicia Hutchison, and Maureen Riley are first-time honorees.
The 15 honorees tie a record for the most in a season set in the 2008-09 academic year. More than 12 Chippewas have been named to the team in each successive year.
More than 68 percent of the 22-person CMU roster earned the distinction.
Gladiator by SGI/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I National Academic Team Award Honorees
Jordyn Brengosz
Brittany Burga
Tiffany Cioppi
Erin Dye
Alexis Gersbach
Emily Girasole
Alicia Hutchison
Simone Lazar
Paulina Lee
Julianna Makrinos
Bailey McKeon
Anastasia Netto
Ellen Riley
Maureen Riley
Skylar VanNatta
