Five Air Force Falcons Earn Academic All-District Honors

USAFA, Colorado, May 21. FIVE Air Force Academy cadet-athletes earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII honors in the at-large university division as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Stephen Crozier (wrestling), Mike Phillipich (ice hockey), Eric Robinson (men's swimming) and Abbey Rogers (women's gymnastics) were named to the first team and will be on the ballot for Academic All-American honors. Meanwhile, Jane Hwang (women's swimming) was named to the second team.

Crozier, a senior from Monona, Iowa, currently holds a 3.62 GPA and will graduate from the Academy next week with a degree in economics. An NCAA qualifier in 2008, Crozier was a two-time NCAA West Regional runner-up, wrestling at 165 pounds during the 2008 season and at 174 in 2009. The Falcons' team captain and team MVP during the 2008-09 season, Crozier has led Air Force in total wins during each of the past two seasons, winning 28 matches in 2008 and 25 in 2009. He is also a three-time All-Western Wrestling Conference selection, earning third-team honors in 2007 and second-team accolades in 2008 and 2009. Crozier has also been named to the WWC All-Academic team in each of the last three years, while selected to the NWCA All-Academic team in 2008.

Phillipich, a senior hockey player who will graduate next week, carries a 3.77 grade point average as a systems engineering management major. Phillipich won the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award as the "nation's consummate team player and team builder." A right winger from Lansing, Mich., Phillipich was one of just five players in Air Force history to be a two-year team captain. He was the MVP of the 2007 Atlantic Hockey Association Final Four as a sophomore as Air Force claimed it first ever conference championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament. As a junior and senior, he captained the Falcons to two more AHA tournament championships and NCAA appearances. He has been on the dean's list every semester, is a three-time academic all-conference selection and was a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, recognizing excellence in academics, athletics, character and leadership.

Rogers, a senior from Pittsburgh, Pa., capped an amazing collegiate career with her second straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Year award and three conference titles. The senior, who earned an invitation to the NCAA Regional Championships, paced the Falcons with four all-conference selections. She posted the squad's highest total of the year on every event, while collecting three MPSF Gymnast of the Week awards and 16 first-place finishes. Rogers, who upped her career-best scores in three of the four individual events, as well as the all-around, also received numerous academic awards. Rogers earned academic all-conference honors, a place on the USAG All-Academic Team and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Rogers, who earned first-team all-district honors in 2008 as well, carries a 3.78 GPA in behavioral science. Earning a slot for graduate school through the Air Force Institute of Technology, Rogers will attend the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Department of Psychology) at Wake Forest University, where she will complete an 18-month program with a focus in social psychology.

Robinson, a sophomore from Lakewood, Colo., holds a 3.97 GPA as a mathematics major. In 2009, Robinson played a significant role in helping the Falcons finish second at the MWC Championships, the team's best showing since 2004. He earned all-conference honors as a member of the second-place 800 freestyle relay team which set a school record with an NCAA ‘B' standard time of 6:32.32. In addition, Robinson was a conference finalist in the 200 freestyle and a consolation finalist in the 200 butterfly. His personal-best times in those two events are the fifth- and eighth-fastest, respectively, in Academy history. Robinson was a member of the MWC All-Academic team, as well as an MWC Scholar-Athlete in 2008, with 2009 honors pending.

Hwang, who holds a 3.49 GPA, will graduate from the Academy next week with a degree in biology. The senior captain from Irvine, Calif., closed out her career with the Falcons as one of the top swimmers in school history. Her name is scattered throughout the Air Force record books, with Academy top-10 marks in six different individual events. She holds three individual school records (100 free, 200 free and 200 IM), all set at the 2009 Mountain West Conference Championships, and also anchored the school record-setting 400 freestyle relay. A seven-time all-conference performer and two-time team MVP, Hwang was named the recipient of the Mountain West Conference Senior Recognition Award in 2009 and is a three-time member of the MWC All-Academic team (with 2009 honors pending). Next year, Hwang will attend medical school at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Md.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use