Blake garners Academic All-America honors

~ The Redhawks' senior star delivered in the classroom, too.

Sandra Blake has received plenty of honors during her brilliant athletic and academic career at Southeast Missouri State.

Her latest accolade probably tops the list.

Blake has been named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American At-Large first team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Blake becomes just the seventh first team Academic All-American in Southeast history, the most recent being former basketball player Derek Winans in 2005.

In addition, Blake is only Southeast's seventh multiple Academic All-American after she received third-team honors last year. Winans was the university's last multiple Academic All-American.

Blake, who completed her athletic eligibility this year, will graduate from Southeast in December with a degree in accounting. She has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average during her college career.

Blake, who last year became Southeast's first Academic All-American in gymnastics, has helped lead the Redhawks to consecutive academic national championships and they are favored to repeat when the results are announced later this summer.

In the gym, Blake helped lead the Redhawks to their first Midwest Independent Conference title in over a decade this year. She was a four-time NCAA regional qualifier.