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Bruning Earns Academic All-America First Team Honors

Bruning Earns Academic All-America First Team Honors

AUSTIN, Texas - Anderson University women's tennis standout Rebecca Bruning has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Women's At-Large First Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Wednesday.

Last season, Bruning became the first player in program history to earn Academic All-American status when she landed on the second team. The junior is one of six South Atlantic Conference student-athletes to claim the national honor in 2016. Wingate's Vika Arkhipova (swimming) joins Bruning on the first team while Tusculum's Franziska Funke (tennis) and Calley Lawson (golf) and Carson-Newman's Nancy Claire Smith (swimming) earn second team accolades while Wingate's Mikaela Hadaway (golf) lands on the third team.

Bruning was twice selected as AstroTurf SAC Player of the Week and named to the South Atlantic Conference All-SAC Second Team Doubles and Singles list at the end of the regular season, as she closed the year with a 15-6 overall record playing at one of top three positions throughout the year. The Athens, Ga. native boasts a 45-11 overall career singles record, including a 27-4 mark against league opponents during the regular season. Bruning's season was highlighted by wins over two top 50 players in the nation earning the junior a No. 45 national ranking in singles play. Bruning is currently the No. 14th ranked singles player in the Southeast Region.

In doubles, Bruning and teammate Ivey Welborn were ranked No. 8 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southeast Regional Rankings to close the regular season. The duo posted a 16-6 overall record and 9-2 mark in conference action, as they landed on the All-SAC Second Team Doubles list.
In the classroom, Bruning carries a 4.0 GPA while majoring in Biochemistry, as she has been named to the Anderson University Dean's List following every semester of her collegiate career. Bruning has led the women's tennis team to five Shirley Jacks Awards, which honors the team with the highest team GPA at Anderson. The junior is also a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, the national honors society for student-athletes and a member of Gamma Beta Phi, a service-based honor society.
The Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2015-16 Division II Academic All-America® teams program.

The at-large program for the CoSIDA Academic All-America® program includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo for both men and women; bowling, crew and field hockey for women; and volleyball and wrestling for men.

FIRST TEAM
Swimming- Monica Amaral- WEST FLORIDA
Swimming- Vika Arkhipova- WINGATE
Field Hockey- Kayla Bixler- MILLERSVILLE
Tennis- Rebecca Bruning (2)- ANDERSON (S.C)
Swimming- Thalie Carmigniani- LYNN
Golf - Marie Coors (2)- SAINT LEO
Tennis- Diana Cotoros- WEST VIRGINIA STATE
Swimming- Kelsey Gouge- FLORIDA SOUTHERN
Ice Hockey- Nicole Hensley (2) (%)- LINDENWOOD
Gymnastics- Maria Hundley (1) (@)- SEATTLE PACIFIC
Tennis- Patricia Husakova- NORTHEASTERN STATE
Swimming- Hannah Loesch (3)- WAYNE STATE (Mich.)
Swimming- Hannah Mattar (1)- ASHLAND
Swimming- Rebecca Matthews- LYNN
Golf- Kasey Petty- FINDLAY

SECOND TEAM
Skiing- Nichole Bathe- ALASKA FAIRBANKS
Tennis- Jamie Lee Denton- ST.MARY'S (Texas)
Tennis- Marija Dimitrovska (3)- TEXAS A&M-Kingsville
Golf- Caroline Fredensborg- ARKANSAS TECH
Tennis- Franziska Funke- TUSCULUM
Tennis- Saioa Gomez De Segura- MERCYHURST
Lacrosse- Jacqueline Jahelka- ADELPHI
Golf- Calley Lawson (3)- TUSCULUM
Tennis- Cristina Lopez (3)- ST.MARY'S (Texas)
Swimming- Elly Maleski (2) (@)- WAYNE STATE (Mich.)
Water Polo- Courtney Miller (3)- UC SAN DIEGO
Lacrosse- Maggie Monnat- LeMOYNE
Swimming- Lauren Slayton- CLARION
Swimming- Nancy Claire Smith- CARSON-NEWMAN
Swimming- Sarah Zerfoss- CLARION

THIRD TEAM
Field Hockey- Anna Behm- KUTZTOWN
Tennis- Marine Beugre-Guyot- SAINT LEO
Crew- Rosie Boncheva- BARRY
Swimming- Jaimie Bryan- UC SAN DIEGO
Field Hockey- Molly Cuevas- ADELPHI
Golf- Mikaela Hadaway- WINGATE
Lacrosse- Bridget Hufnagel- MILLERSVILLE
Tennis- Lindsay Nochowicz- MIDWESTERN STATE
Golf- Becky Koepp- SW MINNESOTA STATE
Gymnastics- Christine Liautaud- BRIDGEPORT
Field Hockey- Sarah Morse- STONEHILL
Field Hockey- Ally Roth- EAST STROUDSBURG
Swimming- Rikki Sargent- SHIPPENSBURG
Swimming- Dari Watkins- UC SAN DIEGO
Tennis- Jill Wetmore- LEWIS

Academic All-America® of the Year: Maria Hundley, Seattle Pacific

(1) - CoSIDA Academic All-America(R) First Team selection in 2015
(2) - CoSIDA Academic All-America(R) Second Team selection in 2015
(3) - CoSIDA Academic All-America(R) Third Team selection in 2015
(@) - CoSIDA Academic All-America(R) Second Team selection in 2014
(%) - COSIDA Academic All-America(R) Third Team selection in 2014

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