Hoff and LaFleur Named to Academic All-District First Team

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 21, 2009

La Crosse, Wis. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse junior swimmer Chelsea Hoff of Middleton (H.S.) and senior gymnast Jackie LaFleur of New Brighton, Minn. (Irondale) have been named to the 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V College Division Women’s At-Large First Team. Both student-athletes are now eligible for the Academic All-America Team, which will be announced in June.

The academic all-district at-large team is comprised of all NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA student-athletes from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota and is voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Eligible sports are bowling, crew, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis and water polo.

Hoff, a fitness and pre-professional physical therapy major with a 4.00 grade point average, earned six All-America honors at the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships. Individually, she placed fifth in the 50 freestyle and sixth in the 100 backstroke at the national meet while earning All-America honors in four relays. She was a member of the Eagles' seventh-place 200 and 400 freestyle relays and 200 medley relay as well as the 11th-place 400 medley relay.

Named the 2008-09 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Swimmer of the Meet for the second straight season, Hoff won the 50 freestyle and 100 and 200 backstroke at this year's conference championships. She was also on UW-L's first-place 200 and 400 freestyle relays and 200 and 400 medley relays. Hoff set WIAC records in all seven of her first-place finishes. She holds individual school records in the 50 freestyle (23.10), 100 freestyle (51.95), 100 backstroke (55.94) and 200 backstroke (2:02.46). Hoff is also a member of four record-setting relays, including the 200 freestyle (1:33.47), 400 freestyle (3:26.80), 200 medley (1:43.43) and 400 medley (3:48.97).

Hoff helped lead UW-L to an eighth-place finish at the NCAA III Championships and second straight WIAC title in 2009.

LaFleur, a computer science major and mathematics minor with a 3.85 grade point average, earned three All-America accolades at the 2009 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships. She placed third on the vault, fifth in the all-around and eighth on the floor exercise. LaFleur was also named a 2009 NCGA Senior All-America Scholar.

She earned two All-WIAC honors in 2009, finishing tied for fourth on the vault while also placing sixth in the all-around. LaFleur was seventh on the balance beam.

LaFleur finished her career with six NCGA All-America honors, including a national title on the vault in 2007. She tied for fourth on the vault in the 2006 national championships and was sixth in 2008. A seven-time career all-conference selection, LaFleur was second in the all-around at the 2009 Gershon/McLellan Invitational and third at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational. She was selected to the 2007-08 All-WIAC Sportsmanship Team.

LaFleur helped lead UW-L to its 13th NCGA title in school history in 2009. The Eagles won their 13th consecutive league crown in 2009.