Dec. 7, 2007

Five Loyola University Chicago student-athletes have been recognized for their excellent athletic and academic achievements as members of the 2007 Fall Academic All-Horizon League teams it was announced by the League office yesterday. Two men's soccer players, a pair of women's soccer players and a women's volleyball player were among those recognized.

Senior Jennifer White represented women's volleyball carrying a 3.98 grade point average as a finance and accounting major. The Chardon, Ohio, native was a key member of the back row finishing with 97 digs and eight service aces. White recorded a season-high 15 digs against Western Michigan while reaching double figures in a total of three matches.

The Academic All-Horizon League men's soccer team featured a pair of Ramblers with sophomore Malcolm DeBaun and senior Markian Zyga.

DeBaun, a biology major who boasts a 3.96 grade point average, earned Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors (9/18) and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Team this fall. The sophomore defender was an instrumental part of a Rambler defense that equaled a school-record with ten shutouts for the second consecutive year while helping Loyola claim its first-ever outright regular-season Horizon League title.

Zyga, the first Rambler in men's soccer history to earn Academic All-America honors, owns a 3.87 grade point average as a business major. The senior from Hinckley, Ohio, earned U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week (9/25) accolades and was named to the ESPN The Magazine First-Team All-District V Team in 2006 and 2007.

The Loyola women's soccer team also produced two Academic All-Horizon League members in junior Caitlin Brown and sophomore Cynthia Morote-Ariza.

A marketing and management major, Brown, holds a 3.90 grade point average. The Troy, Mich., native was an integral part of the Loyola back four that recorded a school-record 11 shutouts en route to capturing the Horizon League title for the second time in as many years. Brown also contributed in the offensive third, netting two goals and assisting on another. She was an instrumental part of the match in Loyola's quarterfinal win over Green Bay as she converted a penalty kick.

Morote-Ariza, the Horizon League Player of the Year, is a psychology major who owns a 3.40 grade point average. The sophomore out of St. Ignatius in Chicago, Ill., was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team after notching a school-record 17 goals and grabbing nine assists. Morote-Ariza added to her impressive resume when she was named the Most Valuable Player of the Horizon League Championship for the second consecutive season. In just two seasons, she already holds the school record for points (70) and is just one shy of Loyola's career goals record (26).

A total of 48 student-athletes from five sports were recognized on the Horizon League Fall Academic Teams based on voting by the League's faculty athletics representatives and sports information directors. To be eligible for Academic All-Horizon League consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale) and have completed at least one year at the member institution having earned 24 semester-hour or 36 quarter-hour credits.