Three athletes were named to Capital One Academic All-District 7 earlier this season.
Senior Angel Lopez, senior Neely Borger, and sophomore Kelsie Roberts were chosen for the honor by the College Sports Information Directors of America. The district included Div. I. athletes from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico.
Lopez, a defensive back and biology major from San Antonio, was named First Team All-District for football and will have his name put on the ballot for the Academic All-American to be announced Dec. 4.
“I am so very honored and blessed to be recognized for something academic,” Lopez said. “It shows that all my long nights and hard work to trying to be a biology major and applying for dental school under all the stress of football and life was worth something.”
Lopez finished the season 4th in tackles in the Southland Conference after leading the Wildcats in tackles the previous season.
Borger and Roberts made the second team for their respective sports. Borger, middle blocker on the volleyball team, is a marketing major from Amarillo, while Roberts, a defender on the soccer team, is a biochemistry major from Lucas.
“This is a great honor,” Borger said. “My grades are a top priority for me, and I’ve been blessed with great professors who have been able to work with me and my volleyball schedule.”
Borger won an all-district citation her sophomore year as well. She was a three-year captain on the volleyball team and was named the Lone Star Conference freshman of the year five years ago.
For all three athletes, academics have always been an important part of their lives.
“My parents were both in the military, so I grew up with some military values and part of that was to always take pride in everything you do, finish anything you started and strive to be the best,” Lopez said. “I took that approach in both academics and football.”
Borger attributes her success to similar sources.
“My parents and my professors have been an awesome support system,” Borger said. “They have instilled in me confidence, empowering me to work on the court and in the classroom.”
Borger and Lopez have played their last for ACU, but both have promising futures ahead with graduation dates set for May 2015. Lopez is waiting to hear back from dental schools across the country, while Borger is searching for a job opportunity in nutrition or marketing.
