The University of South Florida has teamed up with Northwestern Mutual Teague Financial Group to spotlight the top Bulls in the classroom with the Northwestern Mutual Academic Student-Athlete of the Month award.

The fourth recipient of the Northwestern Mutual Academic Student-Athlete of the Month award is sophomore distance runner Shaniel Chambers of the USF track and field/cross country teams.

Pursuing a degree in criminology, Chambers held a 3.87 GPA during the Fall 2009 semester and owns an overall GPA of 3.88 through the first three semesters of her collegiate career.

On the track, Chambers is one of the Bulls' best distance runners, as she recently qualified for the 2010 BIG EAST Indoor Championships in both the 500 and 800 meters, posting the second-fastest indoor time in USF history in the 800 in the team's most recent meet at Penn State Feb. 6. As a freshman, Chambers qualified for the Junior National Championships in the 800, an event that she also owns the second-best mark in school history in outdoor records, after setting the school record in the indoor 500 on her way to finishing seventh at the BIG EAST Championships.

Each month, the USF Academic Enrichment Center staff will choose a Bull as the Northwestern Mutual Student-Academic Athlete of the Month. Factors in the selection for this honor will be classroom success, GPA and overall academic status.