HOFFMAN EARNS ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA AT-LARGE TEAM ACCOLADES

All-America women's golfer Becky Hoffman (Gaines/Swartz Creek) of Ferris State University has been named to the second team in the college division of the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women's At-Large Team as announced Thursday (June 14).

Hoffman, who received National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Division II Women's Golf All-America Honorable Mention Team accolades for her 2006-07 season performance, was among 17 individuals to garner second-team laurels.

Becky Hoffman is the first Ferris State women's golf athlete to achieve national Academic All-America recognition.

Selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the team honors excellence in the classroom and competition. Hoffman, who carries in 3.92 cumulative GPA in social work, advanced to the national ballot after garnering first team All-District IV honors in May. The Bulldog junior was one of 10 student-athletes to attain all-district kudos.

Nominated by members of CoSIDA, candidates for the Academic All-America team must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. They must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at the school and they must have completed one full academic year at the school. The at-large teams are filled with student-athletes from sports that don’t have individual Academic All-America teams.

Hoffman, a 2006-07 National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Division II Women's Golf All-America Honorable Mention Team laurels, recorded both a team-leading and career-best 76.86 stroke average (2,152 total strokes) in 28 rounds this season. Her 2006-07 season stroke average represents the second-best ever among the program's all-time season leaders.

A three-time (2004-05, 2005-06, and 2006-07) All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) First-Team selection, Hoffman compiled 11 top-20 finishes and placed among the top five individuals four times. Her best tourney performance this season was a second-place 219 score at the 2007 NCAA-II East Regional (April 30-May 2) in Big Rapids, Mich. As a result, Hoffman earned NCAA-II All-East Region Team plaudits.

The 2006-07 squad's Most Valuable Player, Hoffman was Ferris State's top golfer in four 2006-07 season tournaments. She helped lead the Bulldogs to third place at the 2007 NCAA-II Women's Golf Championships (May 9-12) in Pace, Fla., with a squad-leading ninth-place 302 stroke total.

In her three-year FSU career, Hoffman presently ranks first on the program's all-time leaders list with a 78.49 career stroke average (6,750 total strokes) in 86 rounds. She has racked up 30 top-20 place finishes, which includes 11 top-five place efforts.

Hoffman not only is the 21st student-athlete in the history of Ferris State Athletics and the second this season (Mike Klobucher) to garner Academic All-America recognition, but also is the first Bulldog women's golf team member to attain the prestigious national honor.

The 2006-07 College Division Women's At-Large Academic All-American of the Year was Clarion (Pa.) University's Jamie Wolf.