Dani Hoover Earns First-Team Academic All-America Honors

St. Louis, Mo., February 21, 2012 – Washington University in St. Louis senior Dani Hoover became the fourth student-athlete in women’s basketball history to earn Academic All-America honors, as she was named to the 2012 Capital One Division III Academic All-America First Team, as announced Tuesday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Hoover is the first women’s basketball player at Washington U. to receive Academic All-America honors since Alia Fischer in 2000. She also joins Fischer as the only women’s basketball players to earn first-team honors in program history. Hoover holds a 4.0 GPA in systems science and engineering, and operations and supply chain management.

Hoover leads the No. 9-ranked Bears with 11.1 points per game, 40 three-pointers and 36 steals this season. She has scored in double figures in 14 games in 2011-12, including 10 of 13 conference games. Hoover received Most Valuable Player honors at both the McWilliams Classic and the Wartburg Holiday Tournament this season.

Hoover was also selected to the 2012 Capital One First-Team Academic All-District Five Women’s Basketball team. In 2011, she was named the NCAA Division III Elite 88 Award winner for women’s basketball. Hoover was also a Capital One Third-Team Academic All-District honoree in 2011, and is a three-time UAA all-academic honoree.

The University Athletic Association (UAA) had three student-athletes earn women’s basketball Academic All-America honors – joining Hoover were Case Western Reserve University’s Erin Hollinger (first team) and University of Chicago’s Taylor Simpson (third team). In order to receive Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must demonstrate success on the playing field and in the classroom, with both academic and athletic achievements taken into consideration. The student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA and be at least a sophomore in academic and athletic standing.