Thursday, March 30, 2006
The Southeastern Conference announced today that 330 student-athletes competing in winter sports were honored with academic All-SEC recognition by the league. Four Alabama women's basketball players were among that number, as Leah Drury, Lauren Hill, Kate Mastin and Dee Merriweather were among the list of honorees.
Drury, a junior guard from Greensboro, earned academic all-conference honors for the first time in her career. The sports fitness management major played in 25 games for the Tide last season and averaged 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Hill, a biology major with plans to attend medical school, was one of Alabama's best offensive players in 2005-06. Despite battling a knee injury, Hill averaged 10.3 points per game, including a career high 24 points against Vanderbilt in the final game of the season at the SEC Tournament. The New Orleans native earned her second academic All-SEC honor, having previously been honored after the 2003-04 season.
Mastin, a guard from Boaz who made and attempted more three-point shots than any other Tide player this season, earned her third academic All-SEC honor in as many seasons. The marketing major started in all 24 games she appeared in last season for Alabama and scored 9.6 points per game.
Merriweather, who graduated from the Capstone in December with a degree in consumer sciences, became an academic All-SEC performer for the third time in her career. Merriweather, who ended her career second on the Alabama career charts in blocked shots with 138, also led the Tide and finished fifth in the SEC in rebounding by pulling down 8.4 per game. She is enrolled in graduate classes at Alabama this semester.
In all, 33 athletes from Alabama made the league's winter honor roll. Florida had more honorees than any other conference school with 59
