Six Earn Academic All-State Honors

P/1B Greg Van Sickler

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Virginia Sports Information Directors announced Friday that six Shenandoah University student-athletes have earned Academic All-State honors in selections made by the organization.

Student-Athletes must have at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale and be a starter or important reserve on their squads to be eligible and up to six students per school can be placed on the All-State team.

Shenandoah University selected six underclassmen, three men and three women, to earn Academic All-State honors in 2008-09. All six earned some type of honor during their playing season and they represent five different sports.

The honorees:

Kevin Brashears, Baseball. Brashears earned USA South All-Tournament honors and then Most Outstanding Player honors in the Salisbury Regional after helping SU to a South Region Championship in 2009. In addition, he was a third team All-South Region selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Brashears hit .393 this past spring and has a 3.44 GPA as a Business major.

Jessi Dennis, Soccer. Dennis burst on the scene this past fall with the women's soccer team to lead the team in points and earn second team All-USA South honors. She also grabbed a spot on the Alvernia Challenge Cup All-Tournament team and was the USA South Rookie of the Week after scoring a school-record-tying five goals in an 8-0 victory over Mary Baldwin on October 29. Dennis has a 3.52 GPA in the Nursing program.

Matt Kingsbury, Football. Kingsbury played in nine games this past fall for the Hornets as defensive back and special teams player. In those nine games, he had 13 solo and 14 assisted tackles and made his first career interception against Albright in week three. Kingsbury was also an ESPN The Magazine first team All-District III selection. He has a 3.70 GPA in Kinesiology.

Lauren Morris, Soccer. Like Dennis, Morris earned a spot on the Alvernia Challenge Cup All-Tournament team at the start of the season and was an All-USA South honoree at the end. In between, Morris had seven goals and three assists for 17 points and scored the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over Greensboro on October 5. Morris has a 3.42 GPA as a Kinesiology major.

Jennie Ott, Cross Country/Lacrosse. Ott, the only multi-sport athlete on the list, earned first team All-USA South honors in both of her sports in 2008-09. As a cross country runner, Ott repeated as a first-team honoree as she helped the program to a best-ever second place finish in the USA South Conference meet and a championship at the Hood College Invitational. In lacrosse, she had 19 goals, 22 assists and 68 groundballs to become the program's first first-team All-USA South selection in three years. Her groundball and caused turnover totals also led the league. Ott has a 3.20 GPA as Business Administration major.

Greg Van Sickler, Baseball. Van Sickler was named as an All-America and first team All-South by the ABCA, earned All-USA South, USA South All-Tournament and Salisbury Regional All-Tournament honors this past year after hitting .411 with a school record 20 doubles and winning nine of 11 decisions on the mound. Like Brashears, Van Sickler sports a 3.44 GPA as as Business major.