Dec. 23, 2010
DAVIS, Calif. -
Official Big West Conference Release in PDF Format 
A total of 13 UC Davis student-athletes earned spots on the 2010 Big West Academic All-Conference teams for fall sports, it was announced by the league office on Thursday. Womens' soccer had four Aggie honorees, women's volleyball and women's cross country each had three, men's soccer claimed two spots, while men's cross country boasted one representative.
In all, 110 student-athletes earned All-Academic honors from the nine member institutions. To be eligible for the conference's honor roll, a student-athlete must maintain a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average, complete one full academic year at the member institution prior to the season for which the award is being received, and compete in at least 50 percent of his/her team's contests.
Alphabetically from women's soccer, sophomore Kathleen Brandl, junior Aisha Lott, sophomore Macie McMillian and junior Elise Winbrock rated among the 41 conference honorees, highest among any of the five fall sports. From the Aggie men's soccer team, junior Mustafa Chopan was a repeat winner while sophomore Jacob Barron took home All-Academic honors in his first year of eligibility. A total of 10 men's soccer players from around the conference made the rolls.
Among the cross country teams, junior Abbey Gallaher, junior Samantha Kearney and sophomore Sarah Tusting represented UC Davis among the 29 women honorees. Gallaher and Kearney are both two-time winners. Calvin Thigpen was the lone Aggie among the 13 men's cross country runners on the All-Academic squad. The senior evolution, ecology and biodiversity major has won the maximum three awards in his career.
UC Davis women's volleyball had three of the conference's 17 honorees: junior Katie Denny, junior Betsy Sedlak and sophomore Allison Whitson. This is the first such award for each.
This is the university's fourth year as an official member of the Big West Conference. The Aggies had 16 fall All-Academic winners in their inaugural season, 15 in 2008 and 13 in 2009.
2010 BIG WEST ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE - FALL SPORTS
UC Davis honorees only. Year listed indicates academic status, not athletic eligibity.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL (3 of 17)
Katie Denny (Jr., Lake Forest, Calif., Human Development)
Betsy Sedlak (Jr., Pleasanton, Calif., Film Studies)
Allison Whitson (So., Palo Alto, Calif., Undeclared)
WOMEN'S SOCCER (4 of 41)
Kathleen Brandl (So., Redwood City, Calif., Exercise Biology)
Aisha Lott (Jr., Milpitas, Calif., Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior)
Macie McMillan (So., San Jose, Calif., Pre-Managerial Economics)
Elise Winbrock (Jr., Davis, Calif., Psychology)
MEN'S SOCCER (2 of 10)
Jacob Barron (So., La Mirada, Calif., Exercise Biology)
Mustafa Chopan (Jr., Citrus Heights, Calif., Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY (3 of 29)
Abbey Gallaher (Jr., Temecula, Calif., Animal Science)
Samantha Kearney (Jr., San Leandro, Calif., Exercise Biology)
Sarah Tusting (So., Benicia, Calif., Chemical Engineering)
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY (1 of 13)
Calvin Thigpen (Sr., Santa Rosa, Calif., Evolution, Ecology & Biodiversity)
