SAN MATEO, Calif. — For the second season in a row, three outstanding Saint Mary's men's basketball student-athletes have earned recognition from the West Coast Conference after landing three players on the All-Academic Team. Both Kyle Bowen and Mitchell Saxen appear on the first team, while Luke Barrett is an honorable mention selection.
 
Bowen has been one of the best for the Gaels on the court and in the classroom. His 3.79 GPA as a Business Administration major is one of the best on the roster, and it helped him become a CSC Academic All-District selection for the first time in his career. On the court, Bowen has started every game of the last two years and is setting career-highs in minutes, rebounds, and three-point percentage. He ranks second in the conference in assist-turnover ratio, and fourth in total rebounds. This is his second consecutive first team All-Academic selection from the WCC.
 
Saxen is in the midst of a breakout campaign on the floor, and could be in line for more postseason hardware. He is one of the best big men in the conference, ranking second in rebounds and first in the WCC in blocks. Saxen owns eight double-doubles on the season, the first eight of his career, in a season that has seen him average nearly 32 minutes per game in 31 starts. In the classroom, he owns a 3.35 grade point average as a business administration major. This is the first time that Saxen has taken home an academic award from the conference.
 
While he might not be in the starting lineup, Luke Barrett has been a huge player for the Gaels off the bench this year. Like Bowen and Saxen, Barrett has set career-highs across the board, appearing in 25 games and averaging over 10 minutes per game. He's had two breakout games on the year, the first of which came in the Gaels second game against Vermont (12 points off the bench). The next came in January when the Gaels played the Academy of Art, and Barrett scored a career-best 15 points while grabbing six rebounds. He is a Communication: Media Maker major and holds a 3.36 GPA.
 
The Gaels are one of just two teams to land multiple players on the first team (Portland), and their three players overall rank behind Portland for most in the conference.
 
In order to qualify for the WCC All-Academic team, student-athletes must meet the following criteria:
(a) A minimum 3.20 cumulative grade point average (GPA) based on the most recently completed term at the time of the nomination.
(b) Be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials.
(c) Have at least sophomore athletic and academic standing with at least one year in residence completed at the nominating institution. (True freshmen, redshirt freshmen and ineligible transfers may not be nominated). 
(d) Participate in at least 50 percent of the institution's completed contests.