Beavers Earn Prestigious Academic Honor
April 13, 2016 | Women's Basketball
A trip to the Final Four, a No. 2 national ranking, three All-Pac-12 honorees, and now one of the top national academic honors has been bestowed upon the Oregon State women's basketball team, as the Beavers were recognized as with the Academic Progress Rate Public Recognition Award on Wednesday.
The honor was presented to 36 women's basketball teams this year based on their performance in the latest multiyear NCAA Division I APR. This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports.
“This honor is a testament to the culture our student-athletes have built here at Oregon State,” said Beaver head coach Scott Rueck. “They are leaders both on and off the court, and hold themselves to a high standard both in the classroom and on the floor. Our athletic department and faculty have helped place each in position to succeed, and they have taken full advantage of the opportunity. I am extremely proud of what our team has accomplished academically.”
“Scott Rueck and his coaches recruit high performing women with superb talents in both the classroom and the court,” said Kate Halischak, Oregon State Associate Athletic Director for Academic Affairs. “The on-the-court team leaders are emblematic of the very strong academic culture of the OSU women's basketball, demonstrating total commitment not only to their teammates, but to their educations in a diverse array of majors including engineering, business, kinesiology, and apparel design. The entire team is an awesome group devoted to excellence and to each other.”
Oregon State, has been honored repeatedly this season for its academic achievement. Leading the way is senior Ruth Hamblin, who earned Academic All-America recognition as a mechanical engineering major. Hamblin, a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic First Team honoree, helped a group of students launch a sounding rocket 21,000 feet into the air this winter, as part of the Oregon State Experimental Sounding Rocket Association. The Houston, B.C. native was a Senior CLASS Award All-American, and received the Elite 90 Award as the student-athlete with the highest GPA among Final Four teams.
Fellow senior Samantha Siegner was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic First Team this season, after making the Second Team the prior two years. Siegner completed her undergraduate degree in just three academic years, and has spent much of 2015-16 interning with the Oregon State Athletics Ideation Team, working primarily in the video department.
Junior Sydney Wiese has made the Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team in both seasons she's been eligible. Overall, seven of Oregon State's 10 award-eligible players earned Pac-12 Academic honors this season (true freshmen are not eligible to receive academic awards).
On the floor, the Beavers made the first Final Four in program history this season, and ended the year ranked No. 2 in the nation in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches' Poll. Oregon State also won the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles.
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