Herd women's golf gets academic honor

IRVING, Texas -- The Marshall women's golf team received the Sport Academic Award, Conference USA officials said Wednesday.

The award is given to the institution with the highest team GPA in each sport. The Thundering Herd women's golf squad received the award based on its cumulative GPA of 3.650.

That total marked the third highest team GPA in the conference, behind Memphis women's cross country, which had the highest average in the conference with a 3.713 and East Carolina men's tennis (3.692).

Rice earned the Conference USA Institutional Excellence Award for the third straight year. The Institutional Excellence Award is given to the C-USA institution with the highest grade-point average during the current academic year for all student-athletes in conference sponsored sports.

Rice student-athletes combined for an annual grade point average of 3.014, with five teams representing their respective sport's top GPA. East Carolina produced four different teams with the highest GPA.

Following is a list of all the Sport Academic Award honorees:

Sport Recipient GPA

Men

Baseball UAB 3.060

Basketball East Carolina 2.781

Cross Country Houston 3.500

Football Rice 2.786

Golf East Carolina 3.506

Soccer Tulsa 2.990

Tennis East Carolina 3.692

Track and Field Rice 3.148

Women

Basketball Rice 3.153

Cross Country Memphis 3.713

Golf Marshall 3.650

Soccer Colorado College 3.344

Softball East Carolina 3.257

Swimming Rice 3.266

Tennis Rice 3.556

Track and Field Tulsa 3.290

Volleyball Memphis 3.580

Baseball

HUNTINGTON -- Junior college pitcher Austin Coan signed with Marshall.

Coan, a right-hander, is a transfer from Grayson County College in Denison, Texas. The Vikings won the 2008 national junior college championship.

"Anytime you can bring in a guy who has experience winning, you're only going to help your team improve," Marshall head coach Jeff Waggoner said. "He is really going to help solidify our bullpen."

The Grapevine, Texas, native was tied for first in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference with eight saves in 16 appearances. He recorded 10 strikeouts in 16.1 innings and allowed 13 hits. Opponents batted .224 against him.

Coan will join left-handed Grayson teammate R.L. Eisenbach on the Herd pitching staff.

Volleyball

HUNTINGTON -- Jessica Dhoore of LaPorte, Ind., signed to play at Marshall. She will play the libero position.

Dhoore was a four-year starter on LaPorte High School teams that won sectional, regional and conference championships in each of the past three seasons.

She was named to the Junior Olympics all-tournament team at the 2007 nationals.