MILWAUKEE, Wis. (April 11, 2008) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's track and field team had a league-high six student-athletes named to the Academic All-Horizon League Team, the league announced this week.

No other team in the league had more representatives on the team in its respective sports. The six Panthers are a part of 10 members of Milwaukee's track and field honored and a league-high 16 honorees throughout the UWM athletic department.

Juniors Holly Nearman and Jenni Saarinen were repeat honorees after being named academic all-league in both indoor and outdoor track last season. Nearman has also been named to the cross country team this season and last. Senior Shannon Buttchen and Erin Magargee and sophomores Erin Havener and Laura Ring each earned their first honors.

Nearman won an individual championship in the 5000m at the league's indoor meet, while earning all-league second-team honors as runner up in the 3000m. She is a journalism major and carries a 3.702 grade point average.

Saarinen scored in three events at the league championships, earning all-league scond-team honors when she tied for second in the high jump. She also took third in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump. An elementary education major, Saarinen boasts a 3.717 GPA.

Buttchen earned her first individual all-league honors this season, taking second in the 800m. She ran a time of 2:14.34, which put her fourth in school history in the event. She also repeated as league champion with the 4x400m relay. Buttchen has a 3.952 GPA as a political science major.

Magargee is enjoying the best year of her career, coming off all-league second team and academic all-league honors in cross country. She capped her indoor track season with a fourth-place finish in the mile and ran with the all-league second-team distance medley relay. Magargee also elevated her status among UWM's all-time top-10 lists, moving up to fifth in the 3000m and ninth in the mile. She is a psychology major and boasts a 3.757 GPA.

Both Ring and Havener garnered their first academic honors after winning league titles. Ring was victorious in the 800m and with the 4x400m relay. She also earned all-league second-team honors on the distance medley relay. Her 800m time of 2:13.89 at the league meet is third in school history. Meanwhile, Havener broke her own league pole vault record in winning a third-straight championship in the event. She won both the indoor and outdoor events last season.

Ring is majoring in psychology and has maintained a 3.739 GPA, while Havener is a nursing major with a 3.487 GPA.