FERRIS STATE ATHLETES EXCEL IN THE CLASSROOM

FSU Student-Athletes Performing At A High Level Both Academically and Athletically

The competitive spirit nurtured within intercollegiate athletics has carried over to academics where the Bulldog student-athletes continually strive to attain lofty goals and reach new heights.

Through determination and hard work, the Ferris State student-athletes at the conclusion of the 2005-06 academic year registered an overall grade point average of 3.10 which is the highest GPA ever recorded in the history of the institution's athletics program. The overall GPA for FSU's student-athlete body was at 3.07 for the last several years.

Several Bulldog athletic teams earned national distinction as a result of their academic success. The men's cross country team under head coach Jeff Kavalunas attained 2006 NCAA Division II All-Academic Team accolades as chosen by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association. The Bulldogs, who posted a 3.05 team GPA, were one of 57 NCAA-II teams to claim the honor. The squad currently has garnered all-academic team laurels the last seven consecutive seasons to date.

In women's basketball, Ferris State was selected for the seventh consecutive season as one of the nation's top academic programs in the 2005-06 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll list. Coached by Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk, the women's team placed 20th overall in the annual listing. The Bulldogs previously compiled the nation's highest GPA in 1999-00 and then placed second nationally for the 2002-03 season.

Ferris State finished 38th nationally among the top academic NCAA-II softball teams for the 2005-06 academic year according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). Head coach Keri Becker's club has been in the top 30 four of the last five seasons, which included a fourth-place showing for the 2001-02 academic year. Three members of the 2006 team - Kristin Hollister, Jessica Jaroniewski, and Lindsay Riskovitch were selected as NFCA Scholar-Athletes.

The women's track and field squad, also coached by Jeff Kavalunas, was honored by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association as a 2006 All-Academic Team. One of his athletes, Mikinzie Stuart, claimed individual all-academic team kudos as announced by the USTFCCCA.

Ferris student-athletes received Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) All-Academic recognition a combined 121 times during the 2005-06 athletics season.

Individually, former women's track and field and cross country All-America runner Jenny Irwin was among nine national finalists for the prestigious 2006 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year Award. The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors outstanding senior student-athletes for their cumulative achievements in service, leadership, athletics and academics. Irwin was chosen as the 2005-06 GLIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division First-Team selection for the 2005-06 athletics season. Irwin along with Leanna Wolf were chosen as 2006 Division II USTFCCCA Women's All-Academic Team members.

Since the 2005-06 academic year, student-athletes at Ferris State continue to receive national recognition for their academic achievement. A pair of 2006-07 women's basketball team players, Erin Miller and Rachel Folcik were both recognized as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV College Division Second-Team selections which represents the eighth consecutive season in which the Bulldogs have had a player named to either the first or second team. Miller was a first-team all-district academic pick a season ago. Two Bulldogs have been honored as first-team Academic All-Americans during the past five years.

Football team captain Mike Klobucher was chosen as a 2006 National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete and was a semifinalist for the prestigious Draddy Trophy, which is annually awarded to the nation's top college football scholar-athlete. Klobucher, who received a post-graduate scholarship, was also the Division II recipient of the Morley Fraser Award which is presented to the NFF Michigan Chapter's top scholar-athlete. He was named the 2006 GLIAC's Jack H. McAvoy Award winner for outstanding character and leadership. The two-time (2005-06) ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV First-Teamer also became the third player in FSU football history to be selected as a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.