Five Huskers Named to Academic All-MPSF

Five Nebraska gymnasts were named Academic All-Conference Mountain Pacific Sports Federation scholar athletes this week, including seniors Jacob Ives and T.J. Schmidt, juniors Josh Rusler and Kyle Shanahan and sophomore Cory Baumgarten.

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Seniors Ives and Schmidt each earn their first MPSF academic honors. Schmidt, who was recently named the Jim Hartung Award winner and was NU's 2009 team captain, was one of Nebraska's top competitors on floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, and parallel bars. A nutrition, fitness and health sciences major, Schmidt owns a 3.093 grade-point average. Ives stepped up his senior year to become a regular in the vault and parallel bars lineups. Ives, an actuarial sciences, holds a 3.25 GPA.

Rusler and Shanahan each earn their second MPSF academic honors. Rusler, a four-event competitor for the Huskers, holds a 3.552 grade-point average in broadcasting. Rusler was recently awarded a Life Skills Hero award for his outstanding leadership and citizenship. Junior a

ll-arounder Shanahan also earned an All-MPSF award for his 3.274 in international business.

Student-athletes selected for this award must be at least a sophomore in standing and hold a grade-point average of 3.0 or better. They must also have completed one full academic year at the member institution prior to the award and competed in at least 50 percent or more of the institution's competitions for the season.

This is the third-consecutive year Nebraska has had more than two athletes selected since the conference began choosing an Academic All-Conference team in 2001.