CoSIDA Release | Men's All-District At-Large Teams | Women's All-District At-Large Teams
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Four Alaska Nanook student-athletes have been selected to the 2016 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Teams, announced on Thursday. Michael Fehrenbach (men's skiing), Nichole Bathe (women's skiing), Linnea Doumas (swimming) and Martina Himma (women's skiing) were each tabbed as District Eight At-Large First Team honorees.
The CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their performances athletically and also in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic At-Large category recognizes student-athletes from NCAA Division I, II and III with women's beach volleyball, women's bowling, women's rowing, women's field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's rifle, men's and women's skiing, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's volleyball, men's and women's water polo and men's wrestling being the only eligible sports for the At-Large nominations.
"We are extremely honored that four of our top student-athletes have received this prestigious award," Alaska Athletics Director Dr. Gary Gray said on Thursday. "Each has worked hard to excel both academically and athletically. We congratulate them and so many other Alaska Nanooks who pursue excellence every day."
Fehrenbach receives his first CoSIDA Academic All-District honor after a spectacular season on the ski trails and also in the classroom. A Mechanical Engineer at Alaska, Fehrenbach holds a perfect 4.0, the highest cumulative grade point average (GPA) of all the Division II District Eight (NCAA West Region schools) student-athletes selected to the First Team. Academically this past season, Fehrenbach was named the men's Nordic ski Scholar Athlete and received the highest NCAA academic honor of all, the Elite 90 award at the 2016 NCAA Skiing Championships in March.
This past season, Fehrenbach was named a NCAA Central Region Champion after placing first overall in the mass-start, classic race in late February. The redshirt junior was also the only Alaska Nanook from the men's Nordic ski team who qualified and appeared at the NCAA Skiing Championships and was named the team's Most Valuable Skier at the conclusion of the season. Overall, Fehrenbach had five top-five finishes overall in the 15-race schedule and six first-place finishes amongst Nanook teammates.
In his four-year career with the Alaska Nanooks, Fehrenbach is a two-time Elite 90 award winner (2016 & 2014), three-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) Scholar Athlete, a USCSCA All-Academic team selection (2013) and a three-time Alaska Nanooks men's Nordic ski Scholar Athlete.
Bathe holds a 3.76 GPA in Elementary Education while also being a dual-sport athlete for the Nanooks. Although Bathe's CoSIDA Academic All-District selection was specifically for skiing, Bathe was named to the GNAC All-Academic Team earlier this fall after the conclusion of the cross country running season. As the Student Athlete Advisory Committee's (SAAC) President, Bathe was named the Alaska Nanooks' Bart LeBon Humanitarian of the Year for her hard work in SAAC's effort to donate money to three different charities this past season.
During the 2015-16 ski season, Bathe was named a Second Team All-American for her top-ten finish at the 2016 NCAA Skiing Championships in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Prior to the NCAAs, Bathe was named the NCAA Central Region Runner-Up and also collected seven top-ten overall finishes throughout the 2015-16 campaign. At the conclusion of the year, Bathe was named Alaska Nanooks women's Nordic ski's Co-MVP with fellow junior Anne-Tine Markset.
Throughout her three years as a Nanook, Bathe has made two NCAA appearances, was named the Alaska Nanooks' Most Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year (2014), a First Team All-American at the 2014 NCAAs, an NCAA Central Region Champion (2014) and a Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) All-Region selection (2014).
Doumas, the only senior of the honorees, recently graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a bachelor's degree in Foreign Languages. Doumas' 3.93 GPA (third among Division II District Eight selections) earned her a Magna Cum Laude graduation honor. At the end of the 2015-16 Alaska Nanooks swimming season, Doumas was named the team's Scholar Athlete for the third straight year.
Doumas capped off her swimming career with the Nooks participating in 28 events throughout the 2015-16 season. Doumas placed in the top-two overall on eight separate occasions, with her best 100-yard backstroke coming in at 00:59.65 in December. Throughout her career with the Nanooks, Doumas was named a GNAC FAR Scholar Athlete and Alaska Swimming's Rookie of the Year in 2012-13.
Himma receives her first CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition as a sophomore with a 3.94 GPA (second-best among Division II District Eight honorees) in Business Administration. This past season, Himma was named the Alaska women's Nordic skiing Scholar Athlete at the department-wide awards reception.
This past season, Himma raced in 10 of Alaska's 12 races in the regular season, posting one top-five finish. Himma also recorded five top-50 overall finishes and three top-five finishes amongst Nanook teammates.
Fehrenbach, Bathe, Doumas and Himma now advance to the national ballots to determine this year's CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large Teams, where first-, second- and third-teams will be selected later this month.
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