Four Huskers Earn Academic All-Big 12 Honors

Lincoln - JC Stevenson and Charlotte Wendner each claimed first-team academic All-Big 12 honors for the third straight season to lead a contingent of four Nebraska women's golfers on the league's academic honor squad announced on Tuesday.

Stevenson, a senior elementary education/coaching major from Grand Island, Neb., leads Huskers on the course with a 75.89 stroke average on the season. Stevenson has been a fixture in the lineup for four straight years, playing 133 rounds for the Huskers. The three-time NGCA Scholastic All-American owns 21 career top-20 finishes and is a seven-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

Wendner, a senior business administration major from Bjarred, Sweden, has also starred for the Huskers on the course and in the classroom during her four-year NU career. Wendner finished in the top 20 at the Big 12 Championships each of the past two seasons and earned All-Big 12 honors on the course by tying for 10th at the 2009 conference championships in Lubbock, Texas. A 2009 NGCA Scholastic All-American, Wendner is a six-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

Madeleine Sheils joined Stevenson and Wendner on the first-team academic All-Big 12 squad for the first time in her career. The sophomore from Boise, Idaho, carries nearly a 3.9 GPA as a philosophy major. A 2009 NGCA Scholastic All-American, Sheils has produced a breakout campaign on the course for the Huskers this year. She owns NU's No. 2 stroke average (76.50) on the season, shaving nearly seven strokes off her season average from her freshman campaign.

Junior Mary Kate Bird rounded out the Husker contingent on the academic All-Big 12 squad by claiming second-team honors. The business administration major from Kansas City, Mo., also captured first-team academic All-Big 12 accolades as a sophomore in 2009. A three-year regular in the NU lineup, Bird owns NU's third-best stroke average this season (76.54) and has served as a representative on the Nebraska Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the women had 24 first-team recipients and six student-athletes on the second team.  First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of his/her team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

Academic All-Big 12 Huskers

• Madeleine Sheils, So., Philosophy, Boise, Idaho - First Team
• JC Stevenson, Sr., Elementary Education/Coaching, Grand Island, Neb. - First Team
• Charlotte Wendner, Sr., Business Administration, Bjarred, Sweden - First Team
• Mary Kate Bird, Jr., Business Administration, Kansas City, Mo. - Second Team