June 14, 2013
CHICAGO - Eleven spring sport student-athletes from Loyola University Chicago have been named to their respective sport's Horizon League All-Academic Team, as announced today by the league office. Loyola's eleven total student-athletes selected ranks third among Horizon League member institutions.
Seven members of Loyola's track & field teams were selected to the Horizon League Track & Field All-Academic Teams, including three members off of the women's side that captured the school's first outdoor conference championship in program history. A pair of seniors, Gina Valgoi (Detroit, Mich./Regina) and Candice Carajohn (Seneca, Ill./Seneca), and junior Alyvia Clark (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) were the women's honorees, while seniors Declan Murray (Strongsville, Ohio/St. Ignatius) and Mike Wetzel (Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon), junior Andy Fenske (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center) and sophomore Sam Penzenstadler (Oshkosh, Wis./West) represented the men's side.
Valgoi and Carajohn each turned-in dominant performances at the Horizon League Outdoor Track & Field Championships in May. Valgoi, an accounting major, captured individual titles in the 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m runs, while Carajohn, a biology major, was recognized as the Individual Scoring Champion after winning the long jump, triple jump and 400m hurdles as well as playing a part in helping the women's 4x400m relay team take home the league crown. Clark, also an accounting major, took home second and third, respectively, in the 5,000m and 1,500m runs. All three qualified for the NCAA West Regional in Austin, Texas.
Murray, a psychology and economics double major, took home the league title in the 800m and ran, along with Wetzel, a history major, on the men's 4x400m relay team that cruised to victory at the league meet and would go on to break the school record in the event at the NCAA West Regional. Murray would go on to qualify for the men's 800m National Final at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, being recognized as a First-Team All-American in the process. Fenske and Penzenstadler led Loyola to a clean sweep of the men's distance events at the league meet. Fenske, a marketing major, rolled to victory in the 5,000m and 10,000m runs with Penzenstadler, a mathematics major, completing the sweep in the 1,500m run.
A pair of student-athletes from Loyola's softball team that tied for the regular season title, Brittany Gardner (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) and Brooke Andresen (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South), were both honored by the league as well. Gardner, a social work major, was the workhorse on the Loyola pitching staff, striking out 174 batters over 176.2 innings pitched during the 2013 campaign. Andresen, an English and secondary education double major, wrote her name into the school record books this season, becoming the all-time hits leader in Loyola history after a two-hit performance against Western Michigan in March.
Also recognized were two members of Loyola's golf teams. Sophomore Nick Dennis (Waterford, Mich./Brother Rice) and junior April Ohlendorf (Wales, Wis./Kettie Moraine) both landed spots on their respective All-Academic teams. For the second consecutive year, Dennis, a finance major, was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Horizon League Championships after finishing in third place overall. Ohlendorf, a psychology major, posted the best per-round average for the women's side this season and also set a new record for the lowest individual round at the Horizon League Championships by firing a two-under-par 70 on the second day of play.
The Horizon League recognizes student-athletes with season Academic All-League Teams in each of its 19 championship sports. To be eligible for Academic All-Horizon League considerations, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.0 scale) and have completed at least one year at the member institution, having earned 24 semester-hour or 36 quarter-hour credits.
