SEC Media Crendential Policy
“The purpose of the Southeastern Conference is to assist its member institutions in the maintenance of programs of intercollegiate athletics which are compatible with the highest standards of education and competitive sports.”
• The Southeastern Conference sponsors championships in 21 sports – 12 women’s sports and nine men’s sports. They include baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, equestrian, football, men’s and women’s golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and volleyball.
• In the fall of 2012, the University of Missouri and Texas A&M University became members of the Southeastern Conference and will begin play in the league for the 2012-13 academic year. It was the first expansion for the SEC since 1991 and the league now has 14 members.
• Southeastern Conference student-athletes not only achieved record-breaking performances on the playing fields and courts, but also in the classroom. 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).
• The Southeastern Conference had 42 Capital One Academic All-Americans in 2011-12, more than any other Division I conference. The league had 22 student-athletes earn first-team honors, also more than any other Division I 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 22 SEC student-athletes who earned Capital One Academic All-America status in 2011-12 were: Florida swimmer Elizabeth Beisel, Alabama softball player Kayla Braud, Georgia football player Drew Butler, Mississippi State tennis player Louis Cant, Tennessee softball player Raven Chavanne, Alabama track and field athlete Nathan Corder, Arkansas track and field athlete Tara Diebold, Georgia gymnast Kat Ding, Auburn soccer player Katy Frierson, Alabama track and field athlete Leigh Gilmore, Tennessee diver Ryan Helms, Florida volleyball player Kristy Jaeckel, Tennessee basketball player Glory Johnson, Alabama football player Barrett Jones, Alabama tennis player Courtney McLane, Alabama golfer Brooke Pancake, Tennessee track and field athletes Chanelle Price and Ellen Wortham, South Carolina track and field athlete Marvin Reitze, South Carolina baseball player Michael Roth, Georgia swimmer Wendy Trott and Alabama swimmer Kyle Weeks.
• 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.
• 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 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients are 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); and, Eleanor Wortham, Tennessee (Women’s Indoor Track and Field).
• The SEC also had two of its student-athletes – Arkansas gymnast Jaime Pisani and South Carolina track and field athlete Radiance Basden - 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 - Kelsey Bruder, Florida (Softball); Kayla Hoffman, Alabama (Gymnastics); Lee Ellis Moore, Ole Miss (Men’s Track and Field). 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 SEC 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. The SEC recipients were 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); and, Cory Whitsett, Alabama (Men’s Golf).
• In 2005, the Presidents and Chancellors and Provosts from the 12 SEC institutions created the Southeastern Conference Academic Consortium (SECAC) to coordinate efforts to bolster teaching, research, public service and other educational activities at the schools. Initiatives include study abroad programs and joint purchasing agreements for library holdings.
• The SEC and its corporate partners host youth clinics each year in conjunction with several conference events, including the football championship game, the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments and the baseball tournament. These clinics provide children from host cities the opportunity to receive instruction from SEC and other area coaches.
• In 1992, the SEC became the first conference in the nation to assemble a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Two representatives from each of the SEC member schools are selected to serve on the committee, which meets twice a year to discuss issues of concern to the student-athlete.
• For the fifth year, the SEC SAAC has coordinated the “Together We CAN” food drive at all 12 SEC institutions. During a two-week period in September, at athletic events on campus, student-athletes seek donations for food that will be delivered to local food banks and area charities. In 2011, the food drive garnered 121,500 pounds of food and donations.
• The SEC conducts a New Coaches Orientation three times per year, which supplements institutional orientation programs and enhances the professional development of coaches. Topics of discussion range from the role of the SEC and NCAA to the role of athletics in higher education.
• The SEC has created an annual Sportsmanship Award that will be awarded to one male and one female student-athlete during the 2007-08 academic year. Voted on by the league’s athletics directors, the award honors student-athletes who, through their actions in the competitive arena of intercollegiate athletics, have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility. This year’s recipients were Arkansas tennis player Matt Walters, Florida tennis player Joanna Mather and Georgia soccer player Laura Eddy.
• The SEC selects a Community Service Team in all of its sports. The Community Service Team features a representative from each institution who has shown a commitment to community service.
• Since implementation of the Graduation Success Rate, there has been a general trend of improvement in the Graduation Success Rate of student-athletes in the SEC. NCAA research indicates the student body graduates at a GSR comparable rate of 60%, which is exceeded by 90% of teams within the SEC.