Tag: Academic All-American

Florida gymnastics star Leanne Wong a CSS Academic All-American

Florida’s Leanne Wong has been spectacular both on the pads as well as in the classroom.

Florida Gators standout gymnast [autotag]Leanne Wong[/autotag] was selected as a first-team 2023-24 College Sports Communicators Academic All-American At-Large on Tuesday.

The announcement brings Florida’s 2023-24 total CSC Academic All-Americans to five. Wong is one of four among the CSC Academic All-America At-Large team heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympics.

Since 1984, 10 Gator gymnasts have earned 15 CSC Academic All-America honors. Wong has made the SEC Academic Honor Roll in every year of her collegiate career.

Wong is the only member of the 2023 U.S. FIG World Championships gold medal team to compete in 2024 NCAA action and medaled at each of the last three World Championships while also enrolled at Florida. She also has Four All-America honors in NCAA Championships competition – all-around, vault, bars – first team and floor exercise.

She led the Orange and Blue with 24 event wins: eight on the bars; five all-around, floor: four on the beam; two on the vault, making Wong tenth in UF history all time with 61 event titles.

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Pitcher Brett Sears named Second-Team Academic All-American

Senior Brett Sears was named a second-team Academic All-American on Tuesday, adding to the All-American recognitions he received back in June.

A Nebraska pitcher became the first Husker baseball player to be named Academic All-American in eight years. Senior Brett Sears was named a second-team Academic All-American on Tuesday, adding to the All-American recognitions he received back in June.

Sears joined the Huskers after playing two seasons at Western Illinois and one year at Iowa Central Community College. He is the first Husker baseball player to be an Academic All-American since 2016. He is the first Nebraska player to be an All-American and Academic All-American in the same season since Aaron Marsden in 2003.

The Westphalia, Iowa, native is the 19th player in program history to be named an Academic All-American, increasing Nebraska’s total to 22 all-time. Sears finished the year with a 3.65 cumulative GPA while earning a degree in child, youth, and family studies.

The Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten honoree posted a 9-1 record with a 2.16 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 104 innings this season. Sears ranked among the national leaders throughout the season. The senior finished the year ranked fourth with a 0.88 WHIP, fifth in ERA (2.16), and 19th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.32).

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Andrews named Academic All-American

Billie Andrews received the honor from the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday afternoon. 

A Nebraska shortstop was named a second-team Academic All-American in softball. Billie Andrews received the honor from the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday afternoon.

Andrews is the first Husker softball player to receive such an honor since 2016. She is the first Nebraska player to be named an All-American and Academic All-American in the same season since Kim Ogee in 2002.

Andrews is the 23rd player in Cornhusker history to be named an Academic All-American. That brings Nebraska’s total number of Academic All-Americans to 31, which leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally.

In 2024, Andrew hit .383 with 18 home runs and 45 RBIs. She also carried a 3.86 grade-point average while earning a degree in graphic design last month.

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All-Time Gators Men’s Basketball Bio: Andy Owens (1967-70)

Andy Owens was an All-SEC selection in 1968 and 1970, an Academic All-American in 1970, and also received an NCAA post-graduate scholarship.

Andy Owens (1967-70) – Forward

Continuing in the tradition of other Gators greats from the late 60s and early 70s, Andy Owens had a brilliant collegiate career in Gainesville but found another profession other than basketball after leaving Florida’s campus.

Owens was born in Atlanta but moved to Tampa as a child, where he standout player for the Hillsborough Terriers high school basketball team. He scored 1,806 points and averaged 23.5 points per game over 77 career prep games and was named as a high school All-American along with Lew Alcindor and Pete Maravich after his senior season.

Making the short trip up Interstate 75, Owens accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Florida after turning down offers from Kentucky and North Carolina. Alongside Gators legend Neal Walk, he helped lead UF to its first postseason tournament appearance: the 1969 National Invitational Tournament.

Over the course of three seasons in Gainesville, Owens averaged 19 points — including 27 points his senior year, a still-standing single-season record at Florida — along with 8.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the free-throw line. He scored more than 30 points 11 times and was an All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1968 and 1970, an Academic All-American in 1970, and received an NCAA post-graduate scholarship.

Owens was taken in both the NBA and ABA Drafts in 1970, going to the Seattle Supersonics in the 11th round and the New Orleans Buccaneers picked him in the 12th round, respectively. Much like Richard Glasper did after him, Owens opted to take a professional career route off the parquet after his collegiate playing days ended and attended law school in Gainesville.

After finishing school, Owens began his career as a lawyer in Punta Gorda, Fla. and was later appointed as a judge on the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. He had a decorated career on the bench before resigning from the court in 2017.

Owens was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great” in 1978 and was honored as an “SEC Basketball Legend” in 2001.

All-Time Gators Men’s Basketball Bio: Tony Miller (1970-73)

Tony Miller’s tenure at UF came just after Neal Walk had left in 1969 and the center from Indiana filled those massive shoes admirably.

Tony Miller (1970-73) – Guard

Tony Miller is a mostly unknown name among the greats of Florida men’s basketball. Hailing from a much different era along with the fact that he never played pro ball has rendered him a distant memory in the psyche of the Gator Nation. That said, he was not exactly chopped liver, either.

Miller’s tenure at Florida came just after legendary Neal Walk had left Gainesville in 1969 and the guard from Indiana filled those massive shoes admirably, leading the Gators in scoring all three years he played.

The 6-foot-one Miller also led the SEC with an average of 26.7 points per game during the 1971–72 season, a year that included his program-record 54 points in a single game that came against Chicago State at Florida Gym. Miller also holds the current best mark for points in a road match, scoring 39 against Auburn that same season — mind you, all coming in an era before the shot clock and the three-point line.

Miller achieved many accolades as a Gator, including a first-team All-SEC selection, serving as senior team captain, earning Academic All-American honors and receiving an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. He is also a member of the Florida Athletic Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Legends of SEC Basketball in 1999.

Despite some promising prospects at the professional level, Miller decided to forgo the NBA Draft in 1973 to attend medical school at the University of Illinois-Chicago, taking a keen interest in orthopedic medicine due to a broken hand he suffered just before he set his scoring record the year prior. He returned to Indiana to practice as a foot surgeon outside of Indianapolis, where he still works full-time to this day.

Michigan State Basketball F Xavier Tillman Sr. named a Second-Team Academic All-American

Michigan State forward Xavier Tillman has been named to the Second-Team All-American roster.

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One of the best stories in Michigan State Basketball this year has been Xavier Tillman Sr. The junior forward from Grand Rapids, Michigan has been one of the best defenders in the country, has set new career-highs in scoring, was married over the offseason, and recently had his second child. Now, you can expect Xavier Tillman Sr. to be recognized with multiple awards and honors this year, but on Monday it was announced that he made Second-Team Academic All-American.

This honor is a testament to Tillman’s effort and resolve. There are plenty of single guys who don’t have kids who struggle to make the Academic All-American Team. Tillman did it with two kids and a new wife.

This is a player, student, husband and father with an incredible work ethic and passion. Tillman has been a leader for the team all year and deserves to be recognized for his efforts.

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