Eighteen student athletes at Cal Poly were honored by the 2017 Big West Conference Fall All-Academic Team Feb. 13, according to the Big West Conference.
The conference honors athletes from both men’s and women’s soccer, cross country and women’s volleyball. To qualify, the athletes must have attended Cal Poly for one year, maintained a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and competed in at least half of their team’s competitions.
The highest number of Cal Poly honorees came from the men’s cross country team, where six runners earned the award. Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Mark Conover said his athletes are stars at balancing sports with school.
“I think they want to achieve at the highest level and it means that they use their time well with respect to their training and their studies,” Conover said.
The only men’s soccer player to make the All-Academic team echoed Conover’s thoughts about time management.
“Time management was the biggest factor,” recreation, parks and tourism administration senior and goalkeeper Simon Boehme said. “If you don’t get the grades, you’re not able to play. I think they go hand in hand.”
Women’s soccer assistant coach Lindsey Smith said she believes in trusting her players. She said the women know how to get the work done on their own and their coaches trust and support them.
Smith saw five of her players honored for the fall season. The women’s soccer team recruits intelligent players, she said.
“School is first and foremost in what the girls do, and then is playing soccer,” Smith said.
The full list of Big West Academic All-Conference honorees is available here.