Each Ivy League institution nominates 10 students for this honor each season. Those selected as recipients must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, in addition to demonstrating skill and leadership in their sport. Five female athletes -- Jess Thomas '09, Caitlin Cunningham '09, Kristen McCormick '09, Jesse Adler '10 and Myra Sack '10 -- and five males -- Andrew Dete '09, Craig Henderson '09, Sean Milligan '09, Oliver Townsend '09 and Ari Gayer '09 -- received the academic honor this Fall.
The honor recognizes athletes in the Ivy League for success in the classroom achieved in conjunction with a substantial athletic time commitment.
Volleyball co-captain Thomas is a three-time recipient of Academic All-Ivy recognition. In 2006 and 2007, Thomas also received second team All-Ivy recognition, an honor focused solely on athletics. Thomas said she recognizes the importance of success on the court and in the classroom.
"Growing up, I've always had a balance of academics and athletics," she said. "I'm always more focused on academics during the season. For me, athletics and academics are one."
Cunningham, co-captain of the women's cross country team, led the squad during the 2008 season after being sidelined by injuries in 2007. She finished 23rd at the Ivy Heptagonal Championship in Nov. 2008, the highest finish on the Big Green team.
Another repeat recipient is McCormick, the field hockey co-captain and a psychology major. McCormick was also named Academic All-Ivy in 2006, and was chosen to represent the athletic department in Green Key Society.
Also majoring in psychology, Adler is a tri-captain of the women's tennis team. For the 2007-08 season, she was named second team All-Ivy in doubles and was ranked No. 6 in the ITA East Region with partner Mary Beth Winingham '10.
As a midfielder on the women's soccer team, Sack has received other accolades for her ability to succeed both academically and athletically. She was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America national second team and the Scholar All-East Region first team in 2008. Leading the Dartmouth offense, Sack scored three goals and had five assists in the 2008 season.
Dete, captain of the football team, has been a starter throughout all four years of his Dartmouth career. He was named to the 2008 Academic All-District 1 First Team. Dete also received the inaugural Charles (Stubby) Pearson '42 Award for character, leadership on campus, high academic standing and performance.
Henderson is the co-captain of the men's soccer team and was recently selected as the Ivy League Player of the Year, first team All-Ivy and third team All-American by the NSCAA. Henderson said he appreciates how accommodating his professors and coaches are with his busy schedule.
"The coaching staff keeps us interested in academics, though we're a really competitive athletic team," he said. "The coaches always tell us that academics come first."
Milligan, the goalie and co-captain of the men's soccer team, has received various other awards throughout his four years at Dartmouth, including first team All-Ivy recognition, NSCAA first team All-American and Scholar All-East. Milligan said he chose Dartmouth with the hope that his professors would hold him to the same standards set for non-athletes.
"That's part of the reason you come to Dartmouth -- to compete at a high level athletically and get challenged academically," he said. "It's more of an honor than just getting All-Ivy."
Under the leadership of both Henderson and Milligan, the men's soccer team reached the third round of the NCAA tournament and won the Ivy League Championship in 2008.
Townsend has been selected as Academic All-Ivy for the second time in his cross country career. As a co-captain of the men's team, he fought through injuries his freshman and sophomore years to return healthy and fast his junior year. Now a senior, Townsend is an engineering major and understands the fragile balance required to be a student-athlete at Dartmouth.
"The hardest part is time -- you have practice in the afternoon and then not only do you lose that time, but you're exhausted after," he said. "Sometimes you feel like you're in over your head, but it always works itself out."
Gayer, an economics major and captain of the men's tennis team, has also managed to balance his sport and his studies. In addition to earning Academic All-Ivy, he was also named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete.
