Fifty-three Jayhawks earn Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team honors

PDF Full Academic All-Big 12 Rookie List

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Big 12 Conference announced the 2016-17 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie team on Thursday, with a total of 441 student-athletes making the list. Kansas was one of just three schools to see more than 50 freshmen honorees, totaling 53, including seven who posted perfect 4.0 grade point averages.
 
Haley Downey (swimming & diving), Moira Frakes (rowing), Cameron Gueldner (track & field), Lisa Lauschke (track & field), George Letner (track & field), Carly Straight (swimming & diving) and Andrea Willis (track & field) were among 46 total student-athletes who posted perfect 4.0 GPAs.
 
“I just tried to enjoy everything I did when keeping up with academics as well as swimming,” Straight said. “The more you dislike a class, I think the harder it is to do the work and make time for the studying, especially when you’re already tired and limited on time from everything you have to do for your sport. If you can stay positive and just try to see everything you do as a blessing and not a chore, it’s easier to put your priorities first and do what you need to do to get good grades while also being a great athlete. It’s not easy, but it’s definitely worth it.”
 
The Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team honors conference competitors who are new, incoming freshmen at their respective league institution. Kansas, Baylor (62) and Texas (55) were the only three schools to total 50 or more honorees.
 
Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services, student-athletes on the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team must be new, first-time/incoming freshmen that have completed 24 semester hours of non-remedial coursework and achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00. Additionally, the student-athlete must have participated in at least one of their team’s scheduled contests and must have been a member of their respective team for their sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment. The Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team was introduced in the 2012-13 academic year. 
 
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