LARAMIE, Wyo. (February 22, 2018) --  Junior Clara Tapia and sophomore Taylor Rusk were named to the Academic All-District VII Women's Basketball First Team and Second Teams, respectively on Thursday. In being named to the First Team, Tapia now moves on to the Academic All-America® Team ballot, which will be chosen on March 7. It's the first since Kayla Woodward in 2015 to earn first team honors.
 
Tapia was an Academic All-Mountain West and Scholar-Athlete selection a year ago, and carries a 4.00 gpa in molecular biology and chemistry. The junior from Barcelona, Spain is averaging 4.7 points and a team-leading 4.3 assists. Rusk was also named an Academic All-Mountain West and Scholar-Athlete during her freshman campaign and currently has a 4.00 gpa in nursing and management. A sophomore from Highlands Ranch, Colo., she is averaging 9.1 points and 3.5 rebounds plus 3.0 assists per contest. She was selected to the All-Freshman Team a season ago. In January, the pair were recipients of the The "Williams Scholars" award which will be presented to the top UW female student-athletes majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs over the next four years.
       
The Academic All-District ® teams include student-athletes that are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada.  The University Division team includes NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division team combines all NAIA, Canadian, two-year schools and other affiliations.        
       
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
 
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