June 7, 2007

Pacific-10 Conference Commissioner Tom Hansen announced the 2007 Pac-10 Men's and Women's Rowing All-Academic Team this week, including six selections for the Women of Troy. To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and be either a starter or significant substitute for their respective crew.

Sophomore Robin Hextrum (3.78 GPA, Neuroscience & Fine Arts), sophomore Julia McIlvaine (3.59, History), sophomore Cassie Richardson (3.94, Linguistics and Psychology & Broadcast Journalism), senior Jessica Smith (3.41, Sociology), and senior Kinga Marciszewska (3.71, Business Administration & Accounting) were selected to the first team while sophomore Claire Tenscher (3.53, Creative Writing) was selected to the second team. Redshirt junior Nichole Fischbach also received an honorable mention for the second season in a row.

Senior captain Jessica Smith said, "We accomplished so much as a team on the water this year, but what people don't know is that these girls really have it together in the class room as well."

Smith received an honorable mention in 2006 and is making her first appearance on the Pac-10 All-Academic Team roster. McIlvaine, Richardson and Tenscher are each first time honorees for the conference all-academic team as well. However, Marciszewska has been bestowed with her third consecutive selection to the team, initially receiving a second team selection in 2005 as a sophomore. Marciszewska also received first team honors as a junior in 2006, making her the second Trojan to receive Pac-10 All-Academic honors three times along with former coxswain Melissa Zimel (2002-2004).

This is only the second time that the Trojans have had six rowers on the Pac-10 Conference All-Academic Team. USC was also represented with six student-athletes in 2004, however the five first-teamers in 2007 is a first for the Trojans. The Women's Rowing team was also honored by their peers at a ceremony held earlier in the semester for having the highest overall team GPA amongst all of the team sports at USC.