Complete MIAC Fall All-Academic Team

WINONA, Minn. — Seventeen Saint Mary's University fall student-athletes earned Academic All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference recognition, it was announced Thursday.

The MIAC recognized 334 student-athletes, which eclipses the previous record of 330, set just a year ago. The past two record-setting fall seasons have seen a significant surge in the number of honorees. Prior to 2012, the MIAC record was 311 (set in 2011). The fall sports recognized included men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer and volleyball.

Student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior, or senior with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale to qualify for MIAC Academic All-Conference recognition. Athletically, student-athletes in football, soccer, and volleyball must compete in 50% of their team's varsity regular season contests. Golfers must be a member of their competing team at the conference championship and cross country runners must finish in the top 50 at the conference championship or be in the top seven of their team at the MIAC Championships.

The SMU men's soccer team and women's cross country teams led the way, boasting four student-athletes on the Academic All-MIAC Team, while the Cardinal men's cross country, women's soccer and volleyball teams all landed three student-athletes.

Cody Balogh (Batavia, Ill.), Andrew Jaworski (Racine, Wis.), Joey Petrich (Elk River, Minn.) and Michael Tabar (Skokie, Ill.) represented the SMU men's soccer team, while Cardinal women's cross country members Bridget Hayes (Chicago, Ill.), Katie Stolz (Forest Lake, Minn.), Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.) and Allie Thiel (Burr Ridge, Ill.) also earned academic honors.

Aaron Haley (Plainview, Minn.), John Soucheray (Woodbury, Minn.) and Gabe Thiel (Berlin, Wis.) represented the men's cross country team team, while Cardinal volleyball players Kaylee Bunne (LeRoy, Minn.), Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) and Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn.), and women's soccer players Caroline Blackwood (Norwalk, Va.), Heidi Martin (Ankeny, Iowa) and Bethany Schmidt (Sparta, Wis.) also made the cut.