Penn athletes earn academic recognition

Scholar-athlete -- at the Division I level it's one of the most difficult balances to maintain. In June, the Ivy League named the 10 Penn athletes who played integral roles on their spring sports team, but also finished the year with outstanding cumulative grade point averages. "The reason why these people succeed is because they were good kids to begin with, with good grades coming in," Penn Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Affairs Robert Koonce said. "That's [Dean of Admissions] Lee Stetson and his folks doing a good job of admitting well-rounded student-athletes." Koonce coordinates academic support for athletes -- whether it be through tutoring, academic advising or just monitoring performance. When the athletic department is succeeding in accomplishing its stated goal -- ensuring that freshmen get off to "a good start" -- some of those athletes may blossom into the type of athletes who were named to this spring's Academic All-Ivy list. "It's a really good group of kids," Koonce said. "Most of the [honored] students, for the last two years, have been very solid. For a lot of these students, it was the beginning of their sophomore year when they really put together a string of consecutive good semesters." One sophomore who has already begun putting together such a string is Dan Nord, the only Penn sophomore to be honored. Nord has a 3.80 grade point average in computer science and also claimed his second Heptagonal Championships triple jump crown. One of Nord's teammates, Dan Short, a junior pole vaulter also was named to the spring Academic All-Ivy team. Short owns a 3.21 GPA in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics. The women's lacrosse team can boast two scholar-athletes, tri-captains Jill Brown and Amy Tarr. In the classroom, Brown earned a 3.53 GPA in biological basis of behavior. Tarr graduated with a 3.36 cumulative GPA in English. Another English major who excelled on the athletic field and with the books was May graduate Angie Jimenez from the women's track and field team. She registered a 3.58 GPA and was among the top Penn track and field athletes of all time with her three Heptagonals championships in the heptathlon. Quakers women's tennis captain Lara Afanassiev managed to maintain her 3.40 GPA in finance despite a few transitions. She transferred into the Wharton School and then had to adapt to a coaching change. From the Penn men's tennis team, senior Brad Goldberg, a strategic management concentration from Cincinnati, was the most successful player with a 3.36 GPA. He also posted a 7-2 record in Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis Association play. Spring graduate Jeremy Milken, the Penn baseball team's runs batted in champion -- with 27 -- as well as doubles leader was also awarded. He graduated this spring with a degree in finance while sporting a 3.57 GPA. From the softball squad, pitcher Vicki Moore proved to be the most impressive scholar-athlete. She was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection. She graduated with a 3.13 GPA in international relations. Jon Cusson, a graduated senior from Baltimore was also a team leader and a scholar-athlete, finishing with a 3.26 in history. "I don't want these 10 to overshadow the other 100 to 200 kids who have above a 3.00," Koonce said. "It's an extreme advantage ? and that's why kids come here," he said. "This is the only place I've been to where everything appears to be in line as far as academics with athletics."

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