Three from MIAC named Academic All-America At-Large
6/16/2009 1:23:49 PM
St. Paul, Minn. -- Three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) student-athletes have been named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-America Women's At-Large Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Gustavus Adolphus College junior hockey player Melissa Mackley was a first team Academic All-America selection. Gustavus Adolphus College senior golfer Kimbra Kosak was a second team pick while College of Saint Benedict senior hockey player Ashley Davenport was a third team honoree.
Gustavus Adolphus College junior women's hockey player Melissa Mackley (Burnsville, Minn.) is a 2009 First Team All-America and All-MIAC selection and was a captain for the Gustavus women's hockey team this season. Mackley led the Gusties in scoring with eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points. She finished second in the MIAC in scoring with seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points, second in assists with 15 and second in power play points with nine (1g, 8a). Mackley, a biology and pre-medicine major, carries a 3.95 GPA.
Gustavus Adolphus College senior women's golfer Kimbra Kosak (Grand Rapids, Minn.) finished tied for 27th place overall at the 2009 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where Gustavus earned third place. She was a two-time honorable mention All-America honoree in 2007 and 2008 and Midwest All-Region honoree in 2008 and 2009, and was named the Division III Kim Moore Spirit Award Winner in 2008. Kosak was also recently named the MIAC Senior Player of the Year. Kosak, an elementary education major, carries a 3.85 GPA.
College of Saint Benedict senior women's hockey player Ashley Davenport (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) is a biology major with a 3.98 GPA. Playing forward for the Blazers, Davenport played in all 20 games registering six goals and two assists for eight points during the 2008-09 season. During her four-year career, Davenport totaled 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points. Davenport also served as officer for the Saint Benedict and MIAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committees.
The Academic All-America® Teams program honors male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Eligible sports for women's at-large consideration include bowling, crew, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, swimming, tennis, and water polo.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at her current institution and be nominated by her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
CoSIDA Release
