May 22, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior golfer Mark Silvers III added another accolade to his ever-growing list as he was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III Second Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Thursday.

Silvers, who has already earned second-team All-SEC honors and was named the Southeastern Conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becomes the first South Carolina men’s golfer to be selected to a CoSIDA Academic All-District team. The senior carried a 3.909 grade point average in finance during the spring semester.

On the course, Silvers saved his best for what might have otherwise been his last tournament as he fired a 7-under-par 64 to lead South Carolina to a tie for second place at the NCAA Southeast Regional and a berth in next week’s NCAA Championship at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Silvers is second on the Gamecock roster with a stroke average of 72.83, including 12 rounds of par or better. He has earned four top-10 finishes this season and has placed in the top-20 on seven occasions.

The native of Savannah, Ga., was one of 21 individuals in the district selected to the men’s at-large team, which consists of student-athletes from golf, tennis, lacrosse, swimming & diving, wrestling, and several other sports. Only six golfers were selected among the 21 athletes on the All-District team. To be nominated, athletes must be at least a sophomore in academic standing and carry a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. They must have also participated in at least 50 percent of their team’s competitions that season as a starter or important reserve. The teams were selected by CoSIDA members by weighing both athletic and acadmic accomplishments.

ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III – Men’s At-Large, University Division
First Team
Chip Peterson, Jr., North Carolina (Swimming & Diving)
Kiril Dimitrov, Sr., Duke (Tennis)
Markus Leandersson, Sr., East Carolina (Golf)
Max Quinzani, Jr., Duke (Lacrosse)
Mike Timms, Gr., Virginia (Lacrosse)
Peter Truszkowski, Sr., Duke (Fencing)
Patrick Mellors, Sr., Virginia (Swimming & Diving)
Pedro Graber, Jr., Virginia Tech (Tennis)
David Dragoo, Sr., Georgia Tech (Golf)
Clark Burckle, Jr., Florida (Swimming & Diving)

Second Team
Brian Harman, Sr., Georgia (Golf)
Reuben Ross, Sr., Miami (FL) (Swimming & Diving)
Aleksandr Seleznev, Sr., Old Dominion (Tennis)
Christian Smith, Gr., Liberty (Wrestling)
Mark Silvers III, Sr., South Carolina (Golf)
Bill Jones III, Sr., Mercer (Golf)
Peter Ferrara, Sr., Virginia (Wrestling)
Guillermo Gomez, So., Georgia Tech (Tennis)
Saketh Myneni, Jr., Alabama (Tennis)
Ryan Smith, So., Georgia Tech (Tennis)
Corey Nagy, Jr., Charlotte (Golf)