Southeastern Conference student-athletes not only achieved record-breaking performances on the playing fields and courts, but also in the classroom, during the 2011-12 academic year.
The SEC won nine national championships in 2011-12: Football (Alabama), Men’s Basketball (Kentucky), Gymnastics (Alabama), Men’s Indoor Track and Field (Florida), Women’s Tennis (Florida), Women’s Golf (Alabama), Men’s Outdoor Track and Field (Florida), Women’s Outdoor Track and Field (LSU) and Softball (Alabama).
The SEC has also had a national runner-up finish in seven sports, including: Women’s Swimming and Diving (Georgia), Men’s Indoor Track & Field (Arkansas), Gymnastics (Florida), Football (LSU), Men’s Outdoor Track and Field (LSU), Men’s Golf (Alabama) and Baseball (South Carolina).
Below is also a listing of record-breaking academic achievements by SEC student-athletes.
SEC LEADS NATION IN CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS
The Southeastern Conference had 42 Capital One Academic All-Americans in 2011-12, more than any other Football Bowl Subdivision conference. The league had 22 student-athletes earn first-team honors, also more than any other Football Bowl Subdivision conference.
The Capital One Academic All-America Teams are voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The 42 student-athletes represent 10 of the SEC 12 schools while eight schools had someone on the first-team. Since 2003, the SEC has had 170 student-athletes earn first-team Capital One Academic All-America status.
The SEC played 42 on the first, second and third-teams, which was six more than the Pac-12, which was second with 36, and eight more than the ACC and Big Ten, which were tied for third with 34.
The SEC had three of its student-athletes earn Capital One Academic All-American of the Year in their respective sports – Florida volleyball player Kristy Jaeckel, Alabama women’s golfer Brooke Pancake and Tennessee women’s track and field athlete Chanelle Price.
2011-12 Capital One Academic All-Americans from the Southeastern Conference (42 total)
FIRST TEAM (22)
Name School Sport Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Elizabeth Beisel Florida Swimming & Diving So. North Kingstown, R.I. 3.61 Telecommunications
Kayla Braud Alabama Softball Jr. Eugene, Ore. 3.92 Public Relations
Drew Butler Georgia Football Gr. Duluth, Ga. 3.62 Kinesiology
Louis Cant Mississippi State Men’s Tennis Sr. Brugge, Belgium 3.93 Kinesiology
Raven Chavanne Tennessee Softball Jr. Thousand Oaks, Calif. 3.89 Political Science
Nathan Corder Alabama Men’s Track & Field Sr. Pickerington, Ohio 4.00 Mathematics
Tara Diebold Arkansas Women’s Track & Field Sr. Branson, Mo. 4.00 Communication Disorders
Kat Ding Georgia Gymnastics Sr. Sparks, Nev. 3.58 Advertising
Katy Frierson Auburn Women’s Soccer Sr. Homewood, Ala. 3.94 Political Science
Leigh Gilmore Alabama Women’s Track & Field Sr. Grove Hill, Ala. 4.00 Civil Engineering
Ryan Helms Tennessee Swimming & Diving Sr. Moultrie, Ga. 3.71 Exercise Science
*Kristy Jaeckel Florida Volleyball Gr. Littleton, Colo. 4.00 Sport Management
Glory Johnson Tennessee Women’s Basketball Gr. Knoxville, Tenn. 3.60 Communications (Gr.)
Barrett Jones Alabama Football Gr. Germantown, Tenn. 4.00 Accounting
Courtney McLane Alabama Women’s Tennis Gr. Lawrenceville, Ga. 4.00 Marketing
*Brooke Pancake Alabama Women’s Golf Sr. Chattanooga, Tenn. 4.00 Marketing
*Chanelle Price Tennessee Women’s Track & Field Sr. Easton, Pa. 3.93 Journalism/Electronic Media
Marvin Reitze South Carolina Men’s Track & Field Sr. Gladbach, Germany 3.91 Management/International Bus.
Michael Roth South Carolina Baseball Sr. Greer, S.C. 3.83 International Business/Marketing
Wendy Trott Georgia Swimming & Diving Sr. Capetown, South Africa 3.97 International Affairs
Kyle Weeks Alabama Swimming & Diving Sr. Poway, Calif. 4.00 Finance
Ellen Wortham Tennessee Women’s Track & Field Sr. Maryville, Tenn. 3.88 Psychology
* - Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of the Year
SECOND TEAM (14)
Name School Sport Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Jake Bequette Arkansas Football Sr. Little Rock, Ark. 3.52 Sport Management
Lane Boyer Arkansas Men’s Track & Field Sr. Fredonia, Kan. 3.88 Geology
Jackey Branham Alabama Softball Jr. Troy, Mo. 4.00 Secondary Education (science)
Kelsey Floyd Tennessee Swimming & Diving Jr. Lexington, Ky. 3.60 Sport Management
Kelsey Horton Florida Softball Jr. Valrico, Fla. 3.70 Nutritional Sciences
Artem Ilyushin Mississippi State Men’s Tennis Sr. Granite Bay, Calif. 3.75 Business Administration
Joanna Mather Florida Women’s Tennis Sr. Duluth, Ga. 3.65 Business Administration
Michelle Moultrie Florida Softball Sr. Jacksonville, Fla. 3.35 Business Administration
Kyle Owens Auburn Swimming & Diving Jr. Johnson City, Tenn. 3.91 Biological Sciences/Pre-Med
Cassie Reilly-Boccia Alabama Softball Sr. Yorktown Heights, N.Y. 3.75 Human Performance/Exercise Sci.
Ellen Renfroe Tennessee Softball So. Jackson, Tenn. 3.75 Psychology
Chris Stratton Mississippi State Baseball Jr. Tupelo, Miss. 3.81 Kinesiology
Tina Sutej Arkansas Women’s Track & Field Sr. Ljubljana, Slovenia 3.43 Biology
Dalton Wilson South Carolina Football Jr. Williston, S.C. 3.98 Finance & Business Economics
THIRD TEAM (6)
Name School Sport Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Caroline Brown Tennessee Women’s Soccer So. Hershey, Pa. 3.90 Communications
Katie Burnett South Carolina Women’s Golf Sr. Brunswick, Ga. 3.85 Experimental Psychology
Dylan Jordan Ole Miss Women’s Soccer Sr. Palmyra, Tenn. 4.00 Exercise Science
Jaime Pisani Arkansas Gymnastics Sr. Ringwood, N.J. 3.66 Kinesiology/Exercise Science
Tyler Riggs Kentucky Men’s Soccer So. Louisville, Ky. 3.91 Mechanical Engineering
Emily Tubert Arkansas Women’s Golf So. Burbank, Calif. 3.80 Broadcast Journalism
SEC STUDENT-ATHLETES LEAD NATION IN NCAA ACADEMIC AWARDS
The Southeastern Conference had 16 of its student-athletes earn NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships in 2011-12. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletic competition. The SEC’s 16 represent the most by any of the FBS conferences. The SEC also had two of its student-athletes earn NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s Enhancement Scholarships.
The SEC had three student-athletes awarded the NCAA Today’s Top VIII, more than any other conference. The award recognizes eight current student-athletes who will have completed their athletics eligibility for their successes on the fields and courts, in the classroom and in the community.
The league also had seven student-athletes earn the Elite 89 award, which is awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA in an NCAA Championships event. An SEC student-athlete earned the Elite 89 Award more than 1/3 of the NCAA sports that the league participates.
NCAA ELITE 89 RECIPIENTS (Highest cumulative GPA of NCAA Championship Participants)
Alex Boulet, LSU (Softball)
Mary Anne Macfarlane, Alabama (Women’s Tennis)
Erik Payne, South Carolina (Baseball)
Brent Sterling, Tennessee (Men’s Swimming and Diving)
Rachel Terry, Alabama (Gymnastics)
Wendy Trott, Georgia (Women’s Swimming and Diving)
Cory Whitsett, Alabama (Men’s Golf)
NCAA TODAY TOP VIII RECIPIENTS (recognizes eight current student-athletes who will have completed their athletics eligibility for their success on the fields and courts, in the classroom and in the community)
Kelsey Bruder, Florida (Softball)
Kayla Hoffman, Alabama (Gymnastics)
Lee Ellis Moore, Ole Miss (Men’s Track and Field)
NCAA POST-GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS (Awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletic competition)
Nathan Corder, Alabama (Men’s Cross Country)
Cullen Doody, LSU (Men’s Outdoor Track and Field)
Katy Frierson, Auburn (Soccer)
Patricia Gilmore, Alabama (Women’s Cross Country)
Ryan Helms, Tennessee (Men’s Swimming and Diving)
Cory Luckie, Auburn (Baseball)
Eric Meissner, Auburn (Women’s Swimming and Diving)
Brooke Pancake, Alabama (Women’s Golf)
Jaime Pisani, Arkansas (Gymnastics)
Chanelle Price, Tennessee (Women’s Indoor Track and Field)
Ben Skidmore, Arkansas (Men’s Indoor Track and Field)
Taylor Lindsey, Alabama (Women’s Tennis)
Wendy Trott, Georgia (Women’s Swimming and Diving)
Matt Vieke, LSU (Men’s Swimming and Diving)
Kyle Weeks, Alabama (Men’s Swimming and Diving)
Eleanor Wortham, Tennessee (Women’s Indoor Track and Field)
NCAA ETHNIC MINORITY AND WOMEN’S ENHANCEMENT SCHOLARSHIP (To qualify, applicants must be seeking admission or have been accepted into a sports administration or similar academic program)
Radiance Basden, South Carolina (Women’s Track and Field)
Jaime Pisani, Arkansas (Gymanstics)
25 SEC SQUADS EARN NCAA APR PUBLIC RECOGNITION AWARDS
Twenty-five (25) Southeastern Conference squads, representing nine institutions, were honored by the NCAA for earning NCAA APR Public Recognition Awards.
The 25 SEC squads are more than last year’s 23 from the league honored and the most ever by the league since the awards were started in 2005.
The NCAA annually honors teams earning multi-year Academic Progress Rates in 10 percent of all squads in each sport.
Vanderbilt had nine of its squads earn Public Recognition Awards – baseball, football, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis and soccer. Ole Miss had four of its squads earn these honors – men’s and women’s basketball, softball and women’s golf.
Tennessee had three of its squads – women’s basketball, women’s golf and women’s tennis – earn Public Recognition honors while Georgia (men’s golf, gymnastics), Arkansas (men’s tennis, gymnastics) and Alabama (women’s golf, women’s tennis) had two squads each named.
Kentucky men’s golf, Florida softball and LSU women’s cross country also earned Public Recognition Awards.
Since 2005, the SEC has had 109 of its squad earn APR Public Recognition Awards
More than 950 NCAA Division I sports teams were honored by the NCAA for earning Public Recognition Awards, based on their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate. These awards are given each year to teams with APRs in the top 10 percent in each sport.
Full APRs for all teams, including access to postseason play and penalties for low-performing teams, will be released June 20.
The 954 teams publicly recognized this year for high achievement represent 560 women’s teams and 394 men’s or mixed squads.
Top performing APRs this year ranged from 978 to a perfect 1,000, with the majority of teams earning a perfect APR. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on the number of perfect scores.
“These teams prove that it is possible to not only balance academic and athletic commitment, as most student-athletes do; but to exceed standards and post outstanding academic scores,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert. “The drive and determination shown in the classroom and on the field by these men and women represent what it means to be an NCAA student-athlete.”
A total of 263 schools, out of 347 Division I colleges and universities, placed at least one team on the top APR list. Additionally, 8 schools that offer athletics in more than one division, out of 49 overall within the NCAA, placed Division I teams on the list.
In 2011, 909 teams were recognized.
In seven years of the NCAA’s academic reform program, 2,946 different teams have received Public Recognition Awards, representing 46 percent of eligible teams during that time. Of that total, 209 teams have received Public Recognition Awards each of the seven years of the program.
Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The score measures eligibility and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years.