Women of Troy Earn Academic Honors
June 04, 2007 | Women's Water Polo
June 4, 2007
Academic awards have been bestowed upon six Women of Troy following their strong 2007 seasons in and out of the pool for the USC women's water polo team. Five Trojans have been named Academic All-MPSF Scholar-Athletes - upping last year's total by one - and five also have pushed their way onto the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches' All-Academic Team to more than double the count from 2006. Seniors Erika Figge and Brittany Hayes both boosted their cumulative GPAs in their final year at Troy to qualify for the ACWPC honors for the first time in their careers.
Topping the GPA charts for the Women of Troy is junior Julie Spataru with a 3.66 GPA. Her increased role on the USC squad made the driver eligible for honors this season. She tacked up three goals for the Trojans and holds the highest GPA of the honorees to rank as "Superior" on the ACWPC All-Academic Team as well as earn her first career Academic All-MPSF Scholar-Athlete accolades. A regular on the academic awards list during her career at Troy, senior Marina Mayer again has earned MPSF and ACWPC honors. Her 3.62 GPA holds Mayer at "Superior" status for the second straight year, and earns her a third consecutive spot on the All-MPSF academic charts. She generated 10 goals for the Trojans in her senior season as a stand-out two-meter defender. As a freshman, driver Alexandra Kiss may not have been eligible for the MPSF honors, but the ACWPC acknowledges first-year players for their academic success. A newcomer from Hungary, Kiss scored 36 goals for the Trojans and posted a 3.57 GPA to also qualify for "Superior" honors on the ACWPC All-Academic Team.
Rounding out the Academic All-MPSF Scholar-Athlete awards by the Women of Troy are repeat honorees Erika Figge, Brittany Hayes and Veronika Bartunkova. Figge and Hayes were USC's top scorers on the year, with Figge leading the way with 50 goals and Hayes next in line with 46. The pair also join Spataru, Mayer and Kiss as ACWPC All-Academic Team selections, earning "Excellent" status on the list. It's the first appearance on the national award chart for the two seniors, while the duo has been awarded All-MPSF Scholar-Athlete honors previously in their Trojan careers. Junior driver Bartunkova bettered her season marks with 27 goals in 2007, and earns her second appearance as an All-MPSF Scholar-Athlete.
The MPSF recognizes athletes from each team who have been significant contributors in the pool and who hold at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Sophomore status and/or one full academic year completed before the season of competition is required to be named an All-MPSF scholar-athlete.
To qualify for ACWPC academic honors, athletes must have at least a cumulative 3.20 GPA and be an eligible regular contributor to her team.
As a team, USC's combined 2.87 GPA ranks the Trojans ahead of UCLA on the team GPA list. Macalester College holds the top GPA as a team with 3.40.
This season's USC academic honorees are:
2007 Academic All-MPSF Scholar-Athletes
USC
Julie Spataru, junior, 3.66 GPA, Communications/Psychology major
Marina Mayer, senior, 3.62 GPA, English major
Erika Figge, senior, 3.28 GPA, Sociology major
Brittany Hayes, senior, 3.27 GPA, Business major
Veronika Bartunkova, junior, 3.05 GPA, International Relations major
2007 ACWPC All-Academic Team
USC
Superior: Julie Spataru, Jr., Marina Mayer, Sr., and Alexandra Kiss, Fr.
Excellent: Erika Figge, Sr., and Brittany Hayes. Sr.
