CU Pair Named Academic All-Big 12

BOULDER ? University of Colorado seniors Hannah Skildum and Kara Richards were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Team, the league office announced on Thursday.

Skildum is a first team member, while Richards was named to the second team. The league academic honor is the first for both players.

Skildum, a native of North Oaks, Minn., has played in 26 games for the Buffaloes this season, logging two starts. A team tri-captain, she is averaging two points and just under two rebounds per game. She is CU's active leader in games played with 119 and will likely end her playing career on CU's Top 15 list for all-time appearances. A member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll, Skildum is scheduled to graduate in May with her bachelor's degree in communications.

Richards, a native of Graham, Texas, is second on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg) while leading the Buffaloes in field goal accuracy at 56.8 percent. A team tri-captain, Richards ranks 11th in blocked shots (74) and 18th in rebounding (512) on CU's all-time list and is on pace to finish among the Top 10 players in school history in field-goal percentage. Richards, who has twice been named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll, graduated in December 2008 with her bachelor's degree in history.

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and media relations offices, the women's basketball academic all-league squad consisted of 34 first team members combined with nine on the second team. First team members have recorded a 3.20 or better GPA, while the second team are those with a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA. To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or in the two previous semesters and have participated in 60 percent of her team's scheduled contests.

Since the formation of the Big 12 for the 1996-97 season, CU's women's basketball team has had 57 Academic All-Big 12 selections, including 38 first team honorees.