Ten named to Academic All-Ivy list

With the Ivy League's release of its list of Academic All-Ivy Honorees for the 2007-08 winter season, 10 Dartmouth athletes have been recognized for their academic and athletic successes.The award, which acknowledges 10 student-athletes--fi ve female and fi ve male--from each Ivy League school, praises students for their achievements, both on the court and in the classroom.In order to qualify, the honorees must have achieved a 3.0 cumulative Grade Point Average, while exhibiting leadership and excellence in their respective sports.All of the members of this year's class were key starters or reserves for their respective teams.From Dartmouth, nine members of the senior class -- Johnathan Ball '08, Andrew Berry '08, Kristen Craft '08, Nick Johnson '08, Adam King '08, Jessica Long '08, Liz Mancuso '08, Harry Norton '08 and Sydney Scott '08 -- and one junior, Carli Clemis '09, were honored. These students compete in a wide range of sports, including basketball, squash, hockey, track and fi eld, and swimming and diving.Some of the honorees, like Craft, co-captain of women's basketball and a two-year starting point guard, were caught off guard by the award."It's a great honor, and a little bit of a surprise, to be honest," she said.Others were just happy to be recognized for their effort."It's an honor," King said. King, co-captain of the men's squash team, accumulated an impressive record while playing at the fi rst, second and third spots this winter."Only fi ve guys from Dartmouth are chosen, so it's a pretty exclusive club," he said. "Being able to balance [athletics and academics], studying here while being a varsity athlete is a huge commitment, and it's nice to be recognized for your work."Unlike a number of other honors, the school itself, not the league, nominates its athletes for the award. This unique quality was not lost on the honorees."It's great to be chosen by the school, a better honor than maybe even being chosen by the Ivy League," Craft said. "The school understands how far you've come from freshman to senior year, and all the work that you had to put into it."Clemis is the starting goalie for the women's hockey team and the only non-senior athlete recognized for the award."[Both academics and athletics] are top priorities for me, and I balance them the best I can. I don't feel like you need to sacrifi ce one for the other," she said. "They're both very important to me, and I'm going to put my heart and soul into both." All of the athletes interviewed by The Dartmouth said that they have a number of great memories from their seasons. Many recalled a big win, a shot at redemption or a playoff run as their favorite moments this winter.All of them cited the importance of their close-knit group of teammates and the bond that they formed over the course of the season, relationships many said they will carry with them after they leave Dartmouth.Berry, captain of the men's swimming and diving team and a record-holding diver who placed third at EISLs this year, stressed that the attitude and performance of his teammates were as important as his own."This award refl ects the commitment of the swim team to academics," Berry said. "The fact that I was chosen from my team almost seems a bit arbitrary. I want to highlight that I don't feel like I've outperformed anyone. This is a testament to my teammates and also to my coaches, who really understand the studentathlete dilemma."Each of the other athletes was quick to credit his or her teammates and coaches as well."Our coaches really stress maintaining the academic priority -- they really value that in the players that they recruit," Clemis said. "The girls on the team are great. All of these girls are dedicated to both the team and their classes, and are always there for you. It's defi nitely a huge positive infl uence." Norton, a three-sport athlete who is third on the school's all-time list for the mile run, credits his coach as well."My coach is always preaching what it means to be a studentathlete," Norton said. "He's always been there for everyone on the team athletically and academically." For many of the seniors, this award represents an appropriate end to all their hard work. "It's bittersweet," Norton said. "You're always looking forward to the next step, becoming a better runner and a better student, and then all of a sudden you're done. It's sad. I defi nitely wish I had a little more time here, but to be recognized now is an honor"