April 25, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina placed 48 student-athletes on the 2011-12 Winter Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll, SEC commissioner Mike Slive released today, tying for the most by a member institution for the winter sports.

South Carolina tied Florida and Alabama with 48 honorees, while Kentucky ranked fourth with 43 on the list. A total of 398 student-athletes were on the 2011-12 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll.

The Gamecocks had 27 women’s swimming and diving student-athletes on the list, with men’s swimming adding 14. Women’s basketball had four and men’s basketball three. This marks the first time in the past five years that the Gamecocks have been the top team on the winter honor roll, but it is the second time this academic year South Carolina has posted the most student-athletes on the roll. In the 2010-11 academic year, the Gamecocks led the SEC with 319 student-athletes honored.

The 2011-12 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2011 Spring, Summer and Fall terms.

Any student-athlete who participates in a Southeastern Conference championship sport or a student-athlete who participates in a sport listed on his/her institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form is eligible for nomination to the Academic Honor Roll. The following criteria should be followed: (1) A student-athlete must have a grade point average of 3.00 or above for either the preceding academic year (two semesters or three quarters) or have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution. (2) If a student-athlete attends summer school, his/her grade point average during the summer academic term must be included in the calculation used to determine eligibility for the Academic Honor Roll. (3) Student-athletes eligible for the Honor Roll include those receiving an athletics scholarship, recipients of an athletics award (i.e., letter winner), and non-scholarship student-athletes who have been on a varsity team for two seasons. (4) Prior to being nominated, a student-athlete must have successfully completed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of non-remedial academic credit toward a baccalaureate degree at the nominating institution. (5) The student-athlete must have been a member of a varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.

South Carolina’s honorees on the list are as follows:

Men’s Basketball (3):
Bruce Ellington, Sport and Entertainment Management
RJ Slawson, Sociology
Eric Smith, Sociology

Women’s Basketball (4):
Markeshia Grant, Experimental Psychology
Imani Sellers, Biological Sciences
La’Keisha Sutton, Broadcast Journalism
Ebony Wilson, Experimental Psychology

Men’s Swimming & Diving (14):
Tim Berens, Business
Bobby Cave, Management Science
Matt Columbus, Biological Sciences
Ryan Connolly, Management
James Crawford, Exercise Science
Michael Flach, Management
Rory Grigull, Exercise Science
Andrew Helmich, English
Dan Jackson, Exercise Science
Collin Kaden, Sport and Entertainment Management
John Metts, History
Gerard Rodriguez, Physics
Brooks Ross, Insurance and Risk Management
Jake White, Biomedical Engineering

Women’s Swimming & Diving (27):
Aileen Atzhorn, Chemical Engineering
Whitney Avers, Public Health
Allison Barr, Sociology
Sarah Bartlett, Elementary Education
Maryn Bieganski, International Business
Shaylyn Blake, Accounting
Blair Bowers, Exercise Science
Meghan Brockington, Public Health
Mallory Cage, Journalism
Cassandra Cregar, Experimental Psychology
Courtney Forcucci, Exercise Science
Abby Galbreath, Sport and Entertainment Management
Jordan Gibbs, Advertising
Logan Griffith, Sport and Entertainment Management
Alina Hall, Marine Science
Alyssa Hand, Public Health
Taylor Josserand, Business
Chay Malvasio, Exercise Science
Lindsey Olson, Experimental Psychology
Matea Peteh, Exercise Science
Lauren Raczkowski, Public Health
Lauren Rosenberg, Elementary Education
Amanda Rutqvist, Exercise Science
Rachael Schaffer, Sport and Entertainment Management
Megan Sparks, Sport and Entertainment Management
Haley Staubach, Public Health
Laura Thomas, Exercise Science