Jan. 28, 2010

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The Navy women's cross country team had 13 of its runners earn a spot on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, it was announced by the league office on Thursday afternoon.

A pair of Navy runners headlined the list with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average during the fall semester - Kayla Sax (Sr./Richland, Wash.) and Brigid Byrne (Fr./Vienna, Va.). Sax, an honors system engineering major, owns a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average over her first-seven semesters, ranks first in her class in Academic Order of Merit and will become a Nuclear Surface Warfare officer following commissioning in May. Byrne, the 2009 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, posted a sparkling 4.0 grade-point average in her first semester in Annapolis.

Two Midshipmen were named to the league's academic honor roll for the third time in their careers - Katie Rentz (Jr./San Diego, Calif.) and Jenny Rubin (Sr./Papillion, Neb.). Rentz produced a 3.78 grade-point average while majoring in honors oceanography. Rubin, a mechanical engineering major that will become a Nuclear Surface Warfare officer following graduation, delivered a 3.70 grade-point average.

Bethany Rahall (Jr./Yorktown, Va.) was recognized on the academic honor roll for the second-straight year after earning a 3.78 grade-point average in honors oceanography.

Seniors Katie Calhoun (Sr./Lancaster, Pa.) and Nicole Kauzlarich (Sr./Kanehoe Bay, Hawai'i) both earned academic honor roll honors for the first time in their career. Calhoun recorded a 3.35 grade-point average while majoring in international relations and will become a Naval Flight Officer following graduation. Kauzlarich, an ocean engineering major, registered a 3.81 grade-point average and will become a Marine Corps Pilot after commissioning in May.

Six other Midshipmen were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for the first time in their career on Thursday. Erin Neumann (Jr./Wray, Colo.) recorded a 3.32 grade-point average in ocean engineering, while Katie Taylor (So./Salem, Ore.) produced a 3.35 grade-point point average in ocean engineering. Newcomers Annie Barry (Fr./Crestwood, Ky.), Jacqueline Blackburn (Fr./Wayne, Pa.), Ashley Mannix (Fr./Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Chloe Staab (Fr./Chino Hills, Calif.) delivered 3.50, 3.40, 3.38 and 3.75 grade-point averages, respectively, in their first semester on the Yard.

In order to be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must earn a 3.20 grade-point average during the fall semester. A total of 102 student-athletes were named to this year's women's cross country honor roll.