Anteater athletes earn Big West academic awards

A grand total of 15 UC Irvine athletes earned Academic All-Big West Conference honors for the spring sports of baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field and men’s and women’s golf.

The UC Irvine men’s track and field team had the school’s highest number of honorees with eight. Seniors Michael Beerer, Michael Cao, Aaron Corbett, Fred Lee and juniors Storm Huie, Sky Johnston, George Morris and Greg Thompson were all honored.

Four members of the UC Irvine women’s track and field team were Academic All-Big West Conference picks, including sophomores Elaine Gillespie, Jamie Schwab and Danielle St. John and junior Kristen Silverman.

Senior Brian Edick was selected from the UC Irvine men’s golf team. Sophomore Victor Lamm was honored from the Anteaters’ men’s tennis team. And senior Izabela Mijic was selected from the UC Irvine women’s tennis team.

Beerer were previously named a UC Irvine Big West Scholar Athlete of the Year. Beerer won his second conference title in the hammer throw and has the No. 2 mark in school history. The senior mechanical and aerospace engineering major competed in the NCAA West Regionals and NCAA Track and Field Championships and earned All-American honors.

Beerer finished ninth in the hammer throw final at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Sacramento. Beerer became the first UC Irvine male athlete to garner All-American honors since Mike Morales earned that distinctin in the hammer throw in 1990.

To be eligible for the All-Academic team, student-athletes had to maintain a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, complete a full academic year at their respective school and compete in at least 50 % of their team’s contests.

In addition, three UC Irvine women’s water polo players were Academic All-MPSF selections by the Mountain Sports Federation. Senior Kelsey Haroldson, junior Robyn Kaake and sophomore Alli Russell were all honored.

To qualify for the honor, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and carry a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA.

A total of 56 MPSF women’s water polo players from 11 institutions were named to this year’s All-Academic team.