Athletes honored for academic achievements
Tiana Mack-Miller is among athletes honored for their academic accomplishments. — Photo: Steve Woltmann
Ten UIC student athletes from four sports were named to the Horizon League’s 2016 Spring Academic All-League teams.
Softball led the way with four student athletes. Elaine Heflin and Laura Swan picked up the honor for the second straight season, while Tiana Mack-Miller and Savannah Soppet earned their first Academic All-League honors.
Heflin, who posted a 3.44 GPA as a criminology, law and justice major, was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year and earned a spot on the All-League First Team alongside Swan, who earned a 3.82 GPA in kinesiology. Mack-Miller, a biological sciences major with a 3.66 GPA, was an All-League Second Team selection. Soppet, a primary starter for the Flames, was among the elite with a 4.0 GPA.
Christopher Cole, Max Cederkall and Carl Hedstrom made up three of the seven spots for men’s tennis on the academic team. Cole, another 4.0 student athlete who graduated from the Honors College as an economics major, earned 19 combined wins in singles and doubles dual play. Cederkall, who graduated with a 3.95 GPA in marketing, boasted a team-best 12 singles wins. Hedstrom posted a 3.81 GPA in finance and was named to the All-League First Team.
Baseball’s Gabe Dwyer and Ricardo Ramirez were named Academic All-League for the first time. Dwyer had a 3.9 GPA as an accounting major and served primarily as UIC’s designated hitter throughout the season. Ramirez carried a 3.52 GPA in finance and ranked among one of the top offensive producers in the Horizon League to be named to the All-League First Team.
Christian Saporiti represented men’s outdoor track and field as he picked up the second such accolade of his career with a 3.7 GPA as a management major. During the outdoor season, Saporiti finished eighth in the hammer throw at the Horizon League Championships and notched his career best in the event at the Chicagoland Championships.
To be eligible for Academic All-Horizon League consideration, students must be a starter or important reserve, have completed one year at the member school and passed 24 semester-hour or 36 quarter-hour credits and have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher.
