March 4, 2004

ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' senior women's basketball player was named a third-team College Division Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Director's of America, it was announced Wednesday by the organization.

Harris, who has named to the all-district first-team last week, was the only player from District Vi named an academic All-American. She has a 3.92 grade point average as a computer science and education major. She has led the Cowgirls to the NCAA playoffs with a 25-2 record and helped HSU win its seventh straight American Southwest Conference title.

The College Division is made up of all the colleges in the country that are not Division I. The number of schools total over 800. It is the second straight season the Cowgirls have had a player on the Academic All-American team.

FIRST TEAM Name School/District Hometown Class GPA/Major Ashlea Bland West Liberty State (II) New Martinsville, W. Va. Senior 3.97/Elementary Educ. Lucy DeMartin Ferris State (IV) Mason, Mich. Senior 3.97/Elementary Educ. Mandy Koupal South Dakota (VII) Wagner, S.D. Senior 3.83/Elementary Educ. Jacqui Martin Indiana (Pa.) (II) New Holland, Pa. Senior 4.00/Math Education Haley Smith Maryville (Tenn.) (IV) Knoxville, Tenn. Senior 3.99/Math/Business

SECOND TEAM Name School/District Hometown Class GPA/Major Mel Bongiorno Chapman (VIII) Stowe, Vt. Senior 3.82/Psych./Journalism Lindsey Dietz Minnesota-Duluth (V) Elk River, Minn. Soph. 4.00/Mathematics Jennifer Howard Francis Marion (III) Raleigh, N.C. Junior 4.00/Bio./Chem./Business Kay Mikolajczak Wisconsin-Oshkosh (V) Franklin, Wis. Senior 3.93/Biology Jena Shackelford Central Missouri (VII) Lenexa, Kan. Senior 4.00/Biology

THIRD TEAM Name School/District Hometown Class GPA/Major Julia Bachman Notre Dame (Md.) (II) St. James, N.Y. Senior 3.98/Biology Amy Brinkerhoff Greenville (V) Paris, Ill. Senior 3.94/Elementary Educ. Lauren Harris Hardin-Simmons (VI) Stephenville, Tex. Senior 3.92/Computer Science Sarah Kendrick South Carolina-Aiken (III) San Antonio, Tex. Senior 4.00/Exer. & Sports Sci. Becca Spaeth Wisconsin-Eau Claire (VII) Chippewa Falls, Wis. Senior 3.92/Biology