Ouachita Baptist University placed 34 on the All-Gulf South Conference Academic Fall Honor Roll with five selected Tuesday to the All-Academic Team in their respective sports.
The All-Academic Honor Roll is a collection of all student-athletes with an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher. Harding led the Fall All-Academic Roll, landing 71 of 498 members who qualified with a GPA of at least 3.00. Montevallo was the next highest with 46, while Christian Brothers (43), West Florida (36) and West Georgia (35) rounded out the Top Five.
Academic All-GSC teams are selected by the GSC Sports Information Directors and Faculty Athletic Representatives in a joint vote. Nominees must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better on a 4.00 scale for their entire academic career and may not be a freshmen or first-semester or quarter transfers.
Ouachita placed 12 on the All-Gulf South Conference Academic Honor Roll in women’s soccer, eight in football, five in men’s soccer and volleyball and four in women’s cross country.
Zach Wright and Brady King were selected to the All-GSC Football Academic Team, while Logan Lyles took home the honors in women’s cross country. Barry McCaskill (men’s soccer), Lauren Pierce (women’s soccer) and Laura Cox (women’s soccer) also earned the honor.
Wright, who was named to the 2007 All-Academic Football team in 2007, was a semifinalist for the NCAA Division II Draddy Award, which recognizes academic success. He played in all 10 games, going 37-of-40 on point after attempts and 16-of-21 on field goals, which a career long of 46 yards in a victory at Southwest Baptist. Wright, a native of Conway, Ark., is a senior and leaves Ouachita as the single-season leader in points scored among kickers with 85. As a Business Management major with a 3.81 GPA, he also holds the career record for extra points with 37, surprising current Tigers Director of Athletics David Sharp’s mark of 30.
King, a native of Addison, Texas, earns his first honor on the team and in mass communications with a 3.94 GPA. He played seven games, recording eight tackles, including three for a loss of six yards. King had a quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery. He also played a significant role on special teams.
Lyles, a senior from Bentonville, Ark., was tabbed to the All-GSC Women’s Cross Country team and is a Christian Studies major with a 3.92 GPA. She placed 40th at the NCAA Division South Region Meet and finished 15th at the GSC Meet. In both meets, she crossed the finish line first for OBU.
McCaskill, a junior with a 4.00 in Physics from Arkadelphia, played in all 11 games for the Tigers this past season. A member of the 2007 All-GSC Academic Honor Roll, he started 10-of-11 games for Ouachita. He had one assist against Louisiana College.
Pierce, who was named to the 2007 All-Academic Women’s soccer team in 2007, maintains a 3.65 GPA in Business. She was the lone senior returning to a team that lost 17 players from a year ago. Pierce, a native of Grand Prairie, Texas, played in all 10 games, with nine starts. She recorded a team-high 15 points with six goals and three assists.
Cox, who majors in English with a 3.97 GPA, played nine games, including eight starts. A native of Hot Springs, Ark., she finished with five points, recording a goal and an assist against Central Baptist. She also had a goal against North Alabama.
