Fifty-seven Spartans have been recognized for their outstanding academic achievement in 2011-12 by earning the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award. The honor is given to athletes that earned a grade point average of 3.7 or higher throughout the year.
The conference honored a total of 587 student-athletes with the award this year.
Junior guard Nate Klatt and sophomore punter Mike Sadler were the only members of the football team to receive the award.
Eight members of the women’s soccer team made the cut — the most of any sport — including standouts forward Laura Heyboer and goaltender Jill Flietstra.
Of the 85 student-athletes with a perfect 4.0 GPA, eight of them were Spartans — Sadler, field hockey’s Corey Block, women’s rowing’s Breanne Walkowiak, women’s soccer’s Desiree Aber and Megan Pines, women’s tennis’ Dana Guentert, women’s track & field’s Katie Guikema and Kelsey Prena.