Dec. 2, 2008

BERKELEY - Four California Golden Bears - center Alex Mack, fullback Zach Smith, offensive guard Mark Boskovich and linebacker Mike Mohamed - have been named to the Pac-10 All-Academic first team, the conference office announced Tuesday. In addition, offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz and fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou were chosen honorable mention.

With four selections, Cal tied with Oregon State for most players on the first team.

Mack, a two-time first-team choice, earned his bachelor's degree in legal studies last May and is competing this fall as a graduate student in education. Also named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete earlier this year, Mack is a finalist for the Draddy Award, which goes to the top football student-athlete in the country and will be announced Dec. 9 in New York. In addition, Mack is a finalist for the Lowes Senior CLASS Award for academic and athletic excellence.

Smith, likewise, is in graduate school at Cal, pursuing a master's degree in a special program focusing on athletes and academic achievement. He previously earned his bachelor's degree from Duke before transferring.

A sophomore who moved into the starting lineup in late September, Boskovich owns a 3.69 GPA in political science. Mohamed, Cal's second-leading tackler with 76 stops, has a 3.39 GPA as a business administration major. He was also named Pac-10 Player of the Week following a nine-tackle performance vs. UCLA Oct. 25.

With this year's selections, 72 different Golden Bears have earned Pac-10 All-Academic recognition during Jeff Tedford's tenure as head coach.

For a full list of the 2008 Pac-10 All-Academic football team, click here.