Three Named to C-USA All-Academic Team

May 15, 2013

NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma rowers Nikki Furmanek, Ivy Brown and Kim Moldenhauer were named to the 2013 Conference USA All-Academic Team, the league announced.

The all-academic team, which consists of 19 student-athletes, was voted on by the league's sports information directors. OU's three representatives tie a conference high. Texas also had three, while all 11 C-USA members had at least one selection.

It is the third Conference USA all-academic selection for Furmanek and the second for Brown, both seniors. Moldenhauer, a sophomore, was honored for the first time.

The C-USA all-academic rowing team consists of student-athletes who have earned a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and are a key contributor to their team. This year's squad each compiled a GPA of 3.5 or better, averaging an impressive 3.88.

Furmanek is an elementary education major from Belleville, Ill. After graduating in December, she has begun her graduate degree. The 2013 Big 12 Rower of the Year and the 2012 Conference USA Rower of the Year, Furmanek is a team captain and the recipient of the prestigious NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics. She was named to the 2012 Collegiate Coaches Association South All-Region Second Team and has been named to the All-Academic team in both the Big 12 and Conference USA three straight years.

A Norman native, Brown has also completed her undergraduate degree in health and exercise science and is working on her master's degree. She was one of a nation-high 14 Sooners to be named a CRCA Scholar Athlete, the highest National Scholar-Athlete award and earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2012 and 2013. Brown is a back-to-back Conference USA Academic Medal recipient and was named to the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll in 2012 and 2013.

Moldenhauer is from Bremen, Germany, and is majoring in international business. She is one of two members of this year's all-academic team with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She earned the Conference USA Academic Medal and was named to the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll in both 2012 and 2013. This season, she was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and has rowed in the varsity four, second varsity eight and varsity eight.

With five Big 12 schools sponsoring rowing, the conference is one team shy of an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship. Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas and West Virginia also compete in the 11-team Conference USA with Alabama, Old Dominion, SMU, Tennessee, Tulsa and UCF. The winner of the C-USA Championship earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

For complete news and behind-the-scenes updates on the Sooners, follow them on Twitter at @SoonerRowing and Instagram at Instagram.com/OU_Rowing.

2013 C-USA All-Academic Team (* Repeat Selection)

Tabitha Coleman - Alabama
Caty Clements - Kansas
*Elizabeth Scherer - Kansas
Allison Dorua - Kansas State
*Ivy Brown - Oklahoma
**Nicole Furmanek - Oklahoma
Kim Moldenhauer - Oklahoma
Maeghan Pardy - Old Dominion
Emily Carstens - SMU
**Erika Johnson - Tennessee
Kayla Lucier - Tennessee
**Chelsea Burns - Texas
Rachel Donnelly - Texas
*Jessica Glennie - Texas
Zoe Fleischmann - Tulsa
Brooke Helmberger - Tulsa
Heather Hart - UCF
Rachelle Purych - West Virginia
Courtney Schrand - West Virginia