The College Sports Information Directors of America announced the 2007-08 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Women’s Basketball Teams, led by Candace Parker of Tennessee and Lindsay Ippel of Millikin.

Parker, a junior, is one of the top players in the nation and helped the United States qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. She recently announced that, after graduating in May, she will forego her final season of eligibility at Tennessee to pursue other opportunities.

“This is such an honor,” Parker said. “An athletic career could end at a moment’s notice, but a solid education will last a lifetime. My parents always made sure that I understood the importance of academics and impressed upon me a work ethic that has me sustain a certain level in the classroom while managing the busy schedule of being a collegiate student-athlete.”

Ippel, now a senior, was Division III’s leading scorer as a junior and was a key part of the Millikin national championship team while a freshman. She holds 17 school records and was a Jostens Trophy finalist.

“I am both humbled and honored to receive this award because I know how many other deserving student-athletics there are,” Ippel said. Balancing Millikin’s rigorous nursing program with basketball has been tough at times, but my passion for both has made it worth the sacrifice. Being named the Academic All-America Player of the Year only reinforces that the long hours at the hospital and the late nights studying after practice have been worth it.”

For more information, including a complete list of honorees, click here.