MILWAUKEE, Wis. (April 29, 2009) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's track and field team placed a league-best four athletes on the Horizon League's Academic All-League Team, the league office announced today.

Senior Holly Nearman and juniors Kelsey Conrad, Abbie Zaspel and Erin Havener were all honored with selection to the team, which recognized both academic and athletic achievement. The Panthers excelled in the classroom and won its third league indoor crown in four years.

Nearman has established herself as a perennial academic all-league selection for cross country and both indoors and outdoor track. This season, she ran with the league-champion and school record-setting distance medley relay at the league meet. She also scored with a third-place finish in the mile, fourth-place showing in the 3000m. In the classroom, Nearman boasts a 3.703 grade point average as a journalism and sociology major.

Conrad was the Horizon League Indoor Athlete of the Year. She won league titles in the 60m, 200m and distance medley relay, with 200m time breaking a league record. She broke school records in the 200m, 400m and with the distance medley relay during the season and was a two-time league track athlete of the week. Conrad is a kinesiology major with a 3.232 GPA.

Zaspel earned the honor for cross country in 2008, as well. During the indoor track season, however, she took third in the 5000m at the league championships. She also placed fourth in the 3000m. An education major, she boasts a 3.85 GPA.

Havener remained unbeaten in league pole vault competitions in her career during the indoor season. She collected her third-straight indoor championship in the event this season and has won a pair of outdoor crowns. An academic all-league team member for the 2008 indoor season, she was also named the league field athlete of the week once. Havener is majoring in nursing and has a 3.563 GPA.