Feb. 25, 2009

Los Angeles, CA -- The 2009 West Coast Conference Winter All-Academic teams were announced on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and Loyola Marymount basketball players Lisa Helmers and Chris Kanne were honored. Helmers is a two-time member of the All-Academic women's basketball team while Chris Kanne earns his first honor in his senior season.

Near the completion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each of the participating sponsored sports. Ten members were named to each of the Women's Basketball All-Academic Team and to the Men's Basketball All-Academic Team. Helmers is a junior Sociology major with a 3.88 while Kanne is a fifth-year senior in graduate school for Business Law. He has a 3.35 GPA.

Helmers has played in all 26 games this season for the Lions, averaging 28.5 minutes per contest. She is fourth on the squad with 8.3 points per game and leads the team in three-pointers made with 50. She is hitting 29 percent in helping the Lions to a 17-9 record.

As for Kanne, he is having the most productive season of his career and as a walk-on earned a scholarship this past summer. He has played in 25 of the Lions' 28 games this season, averaging 9.7 minutes per game. He has hit 14 three-pointers on the season.