2011-12 RMAC All-Academic women's basketball team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Nine Fort Lewis College women's basketball players — the most in program history — received Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Academic accolades, Assistant Commissioner Eric Danner announced today.

Mary Rose Paiz and Dana Schreibvogel were named to the RMAC All-Academic first team, while and Jenna Santistevan was a second team pick. Six others — Stephanie Beeman, Alex Easterbrook, Christie Groh, Emma Hattman, Ashley Kuchar, and Erika Richards — were named to the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll.

“We take great pride in our work in the classroom and these student-athletes are very deserving of the honor for their commitment to academics,” said seventh-year FLC head women's basketball coach Mark Kellogg. “Mary Rose, Dana, Jenna, Stephanie, Alex, Erika, Ashley, Christie, and Emma have been able to successfully balance the role of student-athlete. Having nine student-athletes on the All-Academic team is a great representation of our program and the emphasis that we put on balancing athletics and academics.”

The Skyhawks are the reigning national champions in terms of grade point average. Last year, the Skyhawks carried a 3.715 team GPA — the highest in not only NCAA Division II, but in all five divisions of women's college basketball (NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, and junior college). FLC has owned a Division II Top 25 academic ranking each of the past three years.

Paiz, a 5-foot-11 senior guard/forward from St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, N.M., maintains a 3.81 GPA in Mathematics-Secondary Ed Math option. She earned RMAC All-Academic accolades for the second year in a row after being named to the Honor Roll as a sophomore. She is also a two-time recipient of the D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement Award, a 2010-11 All-RMAC second team selection, and the RMAC's Defensive Player of the Week for Dec. 19, 2011.

Paiz ranks among RMAC leaders in steals (seventh, 1.9 spg), defensive rebounds (eighth, 4.6 rpg), and field goal percentage (12th, .484). A two-year starter and four-year letterwinner, she also ranks among FLC career leaders in rebounding (tenth, 525), steals (12th, 151), free throws (17th, 165), three-pointers (18th, 48), and blocked shots (19th, 29).

Schreibvogel, a 6-foot senior forward from Weld Central High School in Keenesburg, carries a 3.43 GPA in Exercise Science-Exercise Specialist option. She is a three-time member of the RMAC All-Academic squad, having previously been named to the second team as a junior and the Honor Roll as a sophomore. The current Preseason RMAC Player of the Year, Schreibvogel came off a stellar junior campaign in 2010-11 that saw her named the RMAC Player of the Year, the Most Valuable Player of the RMAC Shootout, Women's DII Bulletin All-America third team, WBCA All-America honorable mention, and All-RMAC first team. She has also received RMAC Player of the Week honors six times during her career. Earlier this fall, she was named to Fort Lewis College's All-Century Team, which celebrated the top 100 student-athletes, coaches, and administrators in school history.

Schreibvogel ranks among RMAC in scoring (fourth, 15.1 ppg), field goal shooting (eighth, .529), and steals (11th, 1.9 spg). A two-year starter and four-year letterwinner, she also ranks among FLC career leaders in free throws (sixth, 271), scoring (seventh, 1,112 points), field goals (ninth, 407), rebounding (12th, 470), blocked shots (18th, 30), and steals (19th, 118).

Santistevan, a 6-foot senior center from Dakota Ridge High School in Littleton, has a 3.78 GPA in Business Administration-Tourism & Hospitality Management. She is also a three-time recipient of an RMAC academic award, having previously been named to the Honor Roll as a sophomore and junior. She's also a two-time recipient of the D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement Award.

Santistevan ranks sixth in the RMAC in blocked shots (0.9 per game) in 2010-11 and 16th in FLC history blocks with 34 blocks during her three-year career.

Beeman, a 5-foot-11 senior guard from Highland High School in Gold Canyon, Ariz., carries a 3.64 GPA with a double major in Business Administration-Finance and Business Economics. 2012 marks her third consecutive year on the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll. She was also a recipient of the D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement Award a year ago.

Easterbrook, a 5-foot-6 junior guard from Cactus Shadows High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., maintains a 4.00 GPA in Psychology. She was previously named to the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll and received the D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement Award last season.

She ranks among RMAC leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (fifth, +1.5 per game) and assists (eighth, 3.2 apg).

Groh, a 6-foot-1 sophomore center from Carroll High School in Grapevine, Texas, maintains a 3.50 GPA in Education-Secondary Math Teacher option.

Hattman, a 5-foot-9 redshirt freshman guard from Poudre High School in Fort Collins, Colo., carries a 3.73 GPA in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Kuchar, a 5-foot-8 sophomore guard from Provo High School in Provo, Utah, has a 3.94 GPA in Psychology. She ranks among RMAC leaders in three point shooting (eighth, .361) and three-pointers made (13th, 1.5 per game).

Richards, a 5-foot-9 sophomore guard from Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Ariz., maintains a  3.76 GPA in Exercise Science-Physiology option. She ranks among RMAC leaders in free throw shooting (seventh, .810), field goal shooting (tenth, .500), three-point field goal shooting (11th, .349), three-pointers made (21st, 1.0 per game), and scoring (29th, 10.1 ppg).

Groh, Hattman, Kuchar, and Richards were all named to the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll for the first time in their careers.

To qualify for Academic All-RMAC, student-athletes must have a GPA of 3.30 or better, be a starter or reserve, and completed two consecutive semesters or three quarters at their current institution. RMAC sports information directors selected the first and second teams.

The Skyhawks, ranked No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY ESPN Division II coaches poll, travel to No. 5 Metro State (14-1, 10-1) at 5 p.m. Friday in what may be the first battle between two Top Five teams in RMAC history. FLC's two-day road trip concludes at 7 p.m. Saturday at Regis (6-11, 4-7).