Cougs tie (again) for most All-Academic picks

LAST YEAR, the Cougars under Paul Wulff tied for tops in the Pac-10 with the most honorees named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Academic team. And they did it again this year.

Washington State’s 18 All-Academic selections tied with Stanford for the most in the conference.

Last year, Washington State and Oregon State tied for most in the Pac-10 with 15 selections.

The Cougs placed five student-athletes on the first team -- OL Micah Hannam, OL Chris Prummer, DE Kevin Kooyman, S Jay Matthews and S Chima Nwachukwu.

Hannam was selected for the second time in his career and it is Nwachukwu's second consecutive year as a first team pick.

Hannam carries a 3.59 GPA in civil engineering while Nwachukwu is a political science major with a 3.79 GPA. Prummer holds a 3.88 GPA in zoology, Kooyman a 3.16 GPA in management and operations and Matthews has a 3.68 GPA with an undeclared major.

Offensive linemen Steven Ayers and Joe Eppele, wide receiver Jared Karstetter, linebacker Josh Garrett and safety Kyle McCartney were each named to the second team.

Earning All-Academic honorable mention accolades were center Kenny Alfred, wide receiver Daniel Blackledge, safeties Eric Block and LeAndre Daniels, guard Brian Danaher, linebacker Hallston Higgins and tight ends Andrei Lintz and Skylar Stormo.

Ayers, also an honorable mention pick last season, moved up to the second team, has a 3.44 GPA in social studies. Eppele was named to the second team for the third-consecutive season and is a psychology major with a 3.42 GPA. Garrett and McCartney are making their first appearance on the All-Academic Team, carrying 3.30 and 3.87 GPA’s, respectively with undeclared majors.

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.