June 27, 2012
CHICAGO - Ten Loyola University Chicago spring sport student-athletes were named to their respective sport's Horizon League All-Academic Team it was announced today by the conference office. Loyola ranked fourth among Horizon League schools with 10 all-academic selections, behind only Youngstown State (16), Detroit (15) and Valparaiso (14).
Three members of the Loyola softball program were selected to the Horizon League Softball All-Academic Team: junior Brooke Andresen (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South), and sophomores Brittany Gardner (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) and Lauren Zaworski (Palatine, Ill./Fremd).
An English/secondary education major, Andresen is appearing on the Horizon League Softball All-Academic Team for the second consecutive season. A three-time First Team All-Horizon League pick, the outfielder led the Ramblers this season with a .325 (54 for 166) batting average this season and she enters the 2013 campaign needing only 12 hits to claim sole possession of Loyola's all-time lead in that category. Meanwhile, Gardner and Zaworski are making their first appearance on the all-academic team. Gardner, who is majoring in social work, had one of the best seasons ever by a Rambler pitcher, earning Horizon League Pitcher of the Year honors, while also capturing National Fastpitch Coaches Association Second Team All-Great Lakes Region accolades. With 205 strikeouts and 10 shutouts, Gardner established Loyola single-season records and compiled an 18-10 record and 2.69 ERA. Zaworski, a nursing major, had a breakout season in 2012, batting .262 (34 for 130) with four home runs and 23 RBI.
Sophomore Sean Hickey (Farmington, Mich./St. Mary's Preparatory) is the lone Rambler to be selected to the Horizon League Men's Golf All-Academic Team. Hickey was a key contributor on Loyola's 2011-12 squad that captured the Horizon League Championship for the first time ever and made its first NCAA Regional appearance. The 6-foot-4 business major sported a 78.4 average in 27 rounds, twice posting top-15 finishes.
One of the top golfers in the conference, Ann Vrdolyak (Flossmoor, Ill./Marian Catholic/Iowa) was chosen to the Horizon League Women's Golf All-Academic Team after stringing together one of the best seasons in Rambler history. The marketing major finished the 2011-12 season with a 78.5 stroke average, the second-lowest, single-season mark in school history, while helping Loyola to a second-place finish at the Horizon League Championship. Vrdolyak, who earned All-Horizon League status, finished first or tied for first in five tournaments in 2011-12.
Loyola women's outdoor track and field standouts Gina Valgoi (Detroit, Mich./Regina) and Alyvia Clark (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) were selected to the 19-person Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic Team for the first time in their respective careers. Valgoi, a junior who is majoring in accounting, won both the 5k and 10k at the Horizon League Outdoor Championships in May and went on to compete at the NCAA West Regional. She also established Loyola records in the 10k and 1,500m this spring. Clark had an impressive sophomore campaign in which she snagged second place in the 1,500m at the Horizon League Outdoor Championships.
On the men's side, senior Josh Stein (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy), junior Declan Murray (Strongsville, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) and sophomore Bay Abbott (Leavenworth, Kan./St. James) represented Loyola on the Men's Track and Field All-Academic Team. Stein, who graduated with a degree in biology, capped a remarkable career in which he was a two-time Horizon League Outdoor champion in the 10,000m by qualifying for the NCAA West Regional in that event this spring and made his third straight appearance on the Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic Team. Murray, a psychology major who is Loyola's record holder in the outdoor 800m, continued to assert himself as one of the top runners in the league, collecting the Horizon League Outdoor title in that event this spring en route to a berth in the NCAA West Regional. This is his second straight year on the Horizon League Outdoor Men's Track and Field All-Academic Team. Abbott, who is majoring in international business, has emerged as one of the elite sprinters in the conference and this spring came away with the 400m crown at the Horizon League Outdoor Championships.
The Horizon League recognizes student-athletes with seasonal Academic All-League Teams in each of its 19 championship sports. To be eligible for Academic All-Horizon League consideration, 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 last one year at the member institution, having earned 24 semester-hour or 36-quarter-hour credits.
