DENVER -- Five University of Denver gymnasts were named to the 2017 Academic All-Big 12 Team, the conference announced Tuesday.

All five of Denver's honorees were named to the first team:
Junior Nikole Addison (Fort Myers, Fla.) -- Psychology major
Senior Rachel Fielitz (Walden, N.Y.) -- Psychology major
Sophomore Claire Kern (Charlotte, N.C.) -- Hospitality Management major
Senior Leah Lomonte (Katy, Texas) -- Psychology major
Senior Julia Ross (Henderson, Nev.) -- Journalism Studies major

Fielitz earned recognition as the conference's nominee with a 4.0 GPA.

Both Addison and Ross earned academic recognition from the Big 12 Conference last season. Fielitz, Lomonte and Ross each received academic honors from the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference in 2015. This is Kern's first-career conference academic honor.

First team members have maintained a 3.20 GPA or higher while second team members hold GPAs between 3.00-3.19. Student-athletes must maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA either cumulative or over the previous two semesters, and must have participated in at least 60 percent of the team's meets. Freshmen and transfer students are not eligible. Seniors who have participated for at least two years and meet all criteria except the percent of participation are also eligible.

In total, 29 student-athletes were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team.

Denver competes at the 2017 Big 12 Championship on Saturday, March 18, at a neutral site in Frisco, Texas. The meet is set for a 3 p.m. MT/4 p.m. CT start. This is Denver's second season as an affiliate member of the Big 12 Conference.

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