On Tuesday, 51 Iowa student-athletes were named to the 2009 Big Ten fall academic all-conference team.

The list includes three student-athletes from the Iowa field-hockey team, five men’s cross-country runners, eight the women’s cross-country squad, seven volleyball players, 15 soccer players, and 13 members of the football team.

The eight honorees from the women’s cross-country team ties the school record set during the 2007-08 season.

Eight Big Ten student-athletes from the fall managed 4.0 GPAs. Iowa stood as the only conference school to have three student-athletes accomplish the feat.

Iowa female harriers Katie Ellis and Hannah Roeder, along with sophomore soccer player Sarah Langlas, earned the accolade.

Purdue boasted two student-athletes with 4.0 GPAs, and Indiana, Michigan State, and Wisconsin each had one.

To be eligible for academic All-Big Ten honors, student-athletes must be letterwinners in their respective sport and be in at least their second academic year at a university. They must also carry a career GPA of 3.0-plus.

— by Ryan Young