UCA athletes earn academic honors

Two University of Central Arkansas student-athletes recently earned academic honors.

Sophomore Fernanda Lira was named to the Southland Conference Women’s Golf All-Academic team. Sophomore Louis Tomlinson earned Southland Conference All-Academic honors.

Lira, from Mexico City, Mexico, was an automatic selection for also excelling on the course and earning first-team All-Conference honors. She finished second at the SLC championship, boasting a 3.02 grade-point average with an undeclared major.

Lira, the 2015 SLC Freshman of the Year, averaged 75.1 strokes per round this season and had four Top 10 finishes during the 2015-16 season, with her runner-up finish at the SLC tournament her best when she shot 76-73-72.

Tomlinson, from Welwyn Garden City, England, has a 3.44 grade-point average with an undeclared major. Tomlinson was named the SLC Newcomer of the Year last month after averaging a team-best 73.7 strokes per round this season, his first with the UCA program. He was also a first-team All-SLC selection.

Tomlinson finished in the Top 10 four times in his six tournaments, with season-low rounds of 68 at the Bob Sutton Invitational and the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate. He had a season-low tournament score of 212 at the Houston Baptist Colin Montgomerie Invitational.

Four all-academic members were automatic selections for earning first-team all-conference honors on the year including Student-Athlete of the Year Martin Eriksson of McNeese State, Southeastern Louisiana junior James Anstiss, Tomlinson and Sam Houston State junior Andrew Ertel. Completing the all-academic team is an automatic selection for being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams with UIW senior Austin Wylie. Eriksson, who was also tabbed on the academic all-district team, is making his third appearance on the all-academic team.

The Southland Conference awards committee, which consists of one administrator from each of the 13 member schools, voted for the student-athlete of the year., which went to Lamar’s Taylor Stockton. The student-athlete of the year award is presented to the student-athlete who achieves excellence in both academics and athletics. All nominees shall have earned at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale and demonstrated achievement in athletics for at least two years at the nominating institution.

The all-academic teams are voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and academic advisors from each Southland Conference university. Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution and participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s competition to qualify for the all-academic squad.

2016 Southland Conference Women’s Golf All-Academic Team

Taylor Stockton – Lamar – Sr. – 3.81

Fernanda Lira – Central Arkansas – So. – 3.02

Nicole Budnik – Sam Houston State – Sr. – 3.88

Olivia Le Roux – Lamar – So. – 4.00

Giorgia Carletti – Houston Baptist – So. – 3.89

2016 Southland Conference Men’s Golf All-Academic Team

Martin Eriksson – McNeese – Sr. – 3.96

James Anstiss – Southeastern La. – Jr. – 3.46

Louis Tomlinson – Central Arkansas – So. – 3.44

Andrew Ertel – Sam Houston State – Jr. -3.17

Austin Wylie – Incarnate Word – Sr. – 3.96