Feb. 18, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Headed by Florida State’s Lydia Willemse, eight All-Conference honorees, including two All-Americans, secured spots on the 2008 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Women’s Cross Country Team as announced today by Commissioner John D. Swofford.

To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during her academic career.

The 2008 ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year for Women’s Cross Country, Willemse finished ninth in the ACC Championships this past fall, completing the 6K course in 20:59.9 as the Seminoles out-distanced runner-up Boston College by 79 points en route to their second consecutive ACC title. A senior Chemistry major and a member of the ACC Honor Roll in each of the past three years, the Forest, Ontario native placed ninth at the South Regional and 67th at the NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Ind.

Student-athletes on the team earning All-ACC honors this past fall were Willemse, Boston College’s Nichole Lister and Mallory Champa, Clemson’s Jenna Baker, Florida State’s Lesley Van Miert, North Carolina’s Brie Felnagle, Virginia’s Stephanie Garcia and Lauretta Dezubay. Felnagle and Van Miert also earned All-America recognition after finishing fourth and 29th, respectively, at the NCAA Championship.

The 2008 All-ACC Academic Women’s Cross Country is listed below.