Capital One Academic All-America® Men's and Women's At-Large Teams release dates: 
College Division Teams: Monday, June 4
Division III Teams: Tuesday, June 5
Division II Teams: Wednesday, June 6
Division I Teams: Thursday, June 7
• 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division At-Large Teams - M & W (PDF)
• 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division At-Large Teams - M & W (doc)
TOWSON, Md. – Graduate student Kyle Ross, an ice hockey player at the University of Saskatchewan, and sophomore Hayley Wickenheiser, an ice hockey standout at the University of Calgary, headline the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® C
ollege Division men’s and women’s at-large teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The Capital One College Division Academic All-America® men’s and women’s at-large teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions.
The at-large program for the Capital One Academic All-America® program includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo for both men and women; bowling, crew and field hockey for women; and volleyball and wrestling for men.
Ross, who is majoring in law and carrying a 4.00 G.P.A in graduate school, served as team captain at Saskatchewan and played forward, recording 16 goals and 17 assists in 28 games to rank fourth in Canada West scoring. He helped Saskatchewan appear in three straight playoffs and win the 2012 Canada West Championship. Ross was named the 2012 Canada Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Most Sportsmanlike Player and earned Canada West second team all-star honors three times. In addition, he was the editor of the Saskatchewan Law Review and the 2012 Law School Valedictorian.
Wickenheiser, who has a 3.96 G.P.A. as a kinesiology/pre-med major, was a first team all-star in Canada West. A native of Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Wickenheiser,led the conference with 17 goals and led the nation with seven game-winners. She played 16 games and scored 32 points, then added another nine in four games during the playoffs as the Dinos captured their first-ever Canada West title.
At the CIS Championship, the All-Canadian selection scored twice and added two assists in the national final as the Dinos were crowned CIS champions – the first national title in program history – and she was named to the all-tournament team. Wickenheiser became the first women's hockey player to ever win the Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athlete of the Year award at Calgary in 2012 and was named to the CIS Top 8 Academic All-Canadians in 2010-11.
Capital One College Division Academic All-America® Men’s At-Large First Team
There are 10 tennis players, two volleyball players, one ice hockey, one golfer and one wrestler on the Capital One Academic All-America® College Division men’s at-large first team. The 15 members of the first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.77.
Ross is joined on the men’s at-large first team by Janosch Apelt of Azusa Pacific University, Matt Brahm and Ben Gillen of Saint Ambrose University, James Collet of the College of Idaho, Simon Felix and Chris Freeman of Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University, Travis Gabehart of Clarke College, Renardy Guelfi and Martin Poboril of Oklahoma Christian University, Gustav Hollnagel and Reid Rosen of Morningside College, Richard Leal of Wayland Baptist University, Evan Sanna of Cumberland University, and Kirell Sinitsyn of Fresno Pacific University.
Apelt, a senior tennis player who is an international business major with a 3.62 G.P.A., led Azusa Pacific to a No. 4 ranking in the NAIA. A Frankfurt, Germany native, he helped the Cougars advance to the semifinal round of the 2012 NAIA National Championship Tournament as the team finished with a 21-3 overall record.
A senior volleyball player, Brahm has a 3.87 G.P.A. as a finance and economics major at Saint Ambrose. A native of Elmhurst, Ill., Brahm helped Saint Ambrose to a No. 1 ranking and a national runner-up finish in the NAIA National Invitational Tournament. He registered 87 kills, 27 aces, 100 digs and 14 blocks as Saint Ambrose set a program record for wins, finishing with a 33-3 mark.
A finance and economics major with a 3.71 G.P.A., Gillen is a senior golfer at Saint Ambrose. A
native of Monmouth, Ill., Gillen was the low scorer in four events this year for Saint Ambrose and had three top-five finishes among his seven top-10 finishes. In early April, he carded a collegiate- and tournament-best 67 in the third round of the Beu/Mussatto Invitational hosted by Western Illinois University. He averaged a 75.73 over 26 rounds this year and led SAU with a ninth-place effort at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Men's Golf Championship.
A number three singles and number two doubles player at the College of Idaho, Collet is a senior physics major with a 3.93 G.P.A. A native of Pocatello, Idaho, he posted a 3-8 record in singles play and a 2-7 mark in doubles. Collet was also named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Men’s Soccer first teams. A three-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Collet was named as the College of Idaho Student-Athlete of the Year in 2012.
Felix and Freeman were teammates on the Embry-Riddle tennis team, which finished 20-4 overall and advanced to the NAIA National Championship Tournament semi-final round. A sophomore from Geneva, Switzerland, Felix is an air traffic management major with a 3.73 G.P.A. He earned NAIA All-American second team honors as he posted a 23-5 doubles record and a 22-5 singles mark.
Freeman, a junior aeronautical science major from Costa Mesa, Cal., owns a 3.64 G.P.A. He made the NAIA All-American first team and posted a 23-9 singles record. After winning the USTA/ITA Florida Regional last October, Freeman went on to become only the second player in ERAU men's tennis history to claim a national title, winning the ITA/NAIA national championship. Freeman has been named as The Sun Conference Player of the Year twice.
A senior volleyball player, Gabehart is a history and secondary education major with a 3.95 G.P.A. The Franklin, Ind., native helped Clarke post a 15-12 overall record as he recorded 181 kills, 34 blocks and 93 digs. Gabehart earned MAMVIC East all-conference honors and he is all a three-time member of the MAMVIC All-Academic Team.
Guelfi and Poboril led Oklahoma Christian capture the 2012 NAIA men’s tennis national championship. A senior international business major with a 3.56 G.P.A., Guelfi went 18-3 in singles play and had a 13-7 mark in doubles. The Joinville, Brazil, native is ranked No. 42 in the ITA’S NAIA singles rankings and No. 14 in doubles. Guelfi is a four-time NAIA All-American selection.
A junior information systems major with a 3.40 G.P.A., Poboril posted an 18-4 record in singles play and 17-5 in doubles for Oklahoma Christian. He is ranked No. 10 in singles play nationally and sixth in doubles. A three-time first team NAIA All-American, Poboril is a native of Pribram, Czech Republic.
Hollnagel and Rosen led the Morningside men’s tennis team to a 9-7 record this season. A junior international affairs and psychology major, Hollnagel has a 3.99 G.P.A. A native of Dresden, Germany, native, he posted an 11-4 record at No. 3 singles and went 11-4 in doubles play. He was named to the All-Great Plains Athletic Conference team for both singles and doubles. Hollnagel is 29-19 in singles play in his career as a Mustang.
Rosen is a junior business administration major and has a 3.80 G.P.A. This season, the Fairmont, Minn., native went 9-4 at No. 2 singles and 10-4 in doubles for Morningside. Like Hollnagel, Rosen was named to the All-GPAC team for both singles and doubles. He was also named to the All-GPAC first team during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
A senior history major with a 3.72 G.P.A., Leal recorded a 14-8 overall record with three pins at 125 pounds for the Wayland Baptist wrestling team. A 2011 and 2012 NAIA national qualifier, the Pampa, Texas, native earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors in 2012. Leal also finished second at the 2011-12 York Open and third at the Central Baptist College Open.
A senior tennis player, Sanna is a general business major with a 3.87 G.P.A. at Cumberland. The Kew, Australia, native helped the Bulldogs earn a berth at the 2012 NAIA National Championship Tournament, advancing to the round of 16. Sanna went 10-2 in singles and 11-2 in doubles this season. He was ranked 19th nationally in doubles.
Sinitsyn led the Fresno Pacific tennis team to a 25-2 overall record and a runner-up finish at the 2012 NAIA National Championship tournament. An international finance major with a 3.77 G.P.A., the junior from Toronto, Canada, went 14-6 in singles play and 16-3 in doubles for a Fresno Pacific team that spent the majority of the season ranked No. 1. Sinitsyn earned a spot on the 2012 NAIA All-America first team.
Capital One College Division Academic All-America® Women’s At-Large Team
The 15 members of the Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Women’s At-Large first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.79. There are five golfers, four tennis players, three swimmers, two ice hockey players and a bowler on the first team.
Joining Wickenheiser on the women’s first team are Jada Bennington of William Woods University, Gabriela Bergmanova of Vanguard University, Krystal Carlson of Morningside, Stacy Carter of Fresno Pacific, Yi Ching Chen and Rocio Frej Vitalle of Embry-Riddle (Fla.), Rachel Dansby of Lubbock Christian University, Trish Gibbens of the College of Idaho, Ana Gomez of Concordia (Cal.) University, Kim Koetterheinrich of Azusa Pacific, Fiona Lester of Wilfrid Laurier University, Andria Hinz of Northwestern (Iowa) College, Kayla Rhoades of Marian (Ind.) University and Trina Slapeka of Lindsey Wilson College.
Bennington, a sports management/business administration major with a 3.78 G.P.A., is a senior golfer for finished the 2011-12 season with a 77.1 stroke average. The 10th-best golfer in the country, she earned eight top-10 finishes in 12 tournament appearances. She was named the NAIA Women's Golf Player of the Week in early April, following back-to-back tournament wins for the Owls and an individual championship at the WWU Spring Invitational. Bennington was also recognized as a first team NAIA All-American in 2010 and 2011.
An international business major with a 3.78 G.P.A., Bergmanova posted an outstanding season as the number one singles player for Vanguard’s tennis team. A native of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, she posted a 23-1 record as the No. 1 singles player and had a 16-9 in doubles action. A member of the All-Golden State Athletic Conference team, she was named as an NAIA first team All-American. One of the top NAIA women’s in the ITA individual rankings all season, Bergmanova was the No. 2 ranked player in the May rankings and was named the NAIA Wilson/ITA West Senior Women's Player of the Year.
Carlson, a junior biology and chemistry major with a 3.86 G.P.A., was one of the top swimmers at Morningside. A native of Richfield, Minn., she had the Mustangs’ top individual showing at the 2012 NAIA Swimming & Diving National Championships with a 10th place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle event . Carlson holds school records in the 200, 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle events.
A four-time NAIA All-American swimmer, Carter is a biology major with a 3.46 G.P.A. A native of Merced, Cal., she led Fresno Pacific to the 2012 NAIA national championship. Carter won the NAIA 200 individual medley title in a time of 2:05.04 and was a member of the national champion 400 and 800 freestyle relay teams for the Sunbirds.
A business administration major with a 3.53 G.P.A., Ching Chen has been named as the The Sun Conference tennis Player of the Year twice. A native of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, she was named as a first team NAIA All-American three times. Named as the South Region Women's Tennis Senior Player of the Year, she earned first team all-conference honors for the third straight year. Ching Chen, who holds the Embry-Riddle career singles (72) and doubles (76) records for wins, is ranked fourth in singles and sixth in doubles. She had a 22-7 singles record and a 26-8 doubles mark in 2012.
Another NAIA All-American first team selection at Embry-Riddle, Frej Vitalle is an aerospace engineering major with a 3.55 G.P.A. A native of Zaragoza, Spain, she was a first team All-TSC honoree. She was also named as the NAIA National Player of the Week twice. The 2011 USTA/ITA Florida Regional singles champion, Frej Vitalle is ranked No. 17 in singles with a 22-8 record and is ranked 11th nationally in doubles with a 24-2 mark.
A repeat selection of the Capital One Academic All-America® College Division women’s at-large team, Dansby is a psychology major with a 4.0 G.P.A. A senior golfer who hails from Lubbock, Texas, was a third team Capital One Academic All-America® honoree last year. As a senior, she helped Lubbock Christian finish seventh at the NAIA National Championship Tournament. While averaging 80.6 per round, she had two top-10 finishes in eight tournaments this year.
A business major with a 3.65 G.P.A., Gibbens, led the College of Idaho to its first-ever appearance at the NAIA National Championship Tournament this year. A junior from Caldwell, Idaho, she earned All-Cascade Collegiate Conference honors and was ranked fifth in the NAIA in stroke average (76.2). She was an eight-time CCC Player of the Week and she was a three-time medalist for the Lady Coyotes this season.
A senior swimmer, Gomez led Concordia (Cal.) University to a fourth place finish at the NAIA National Championship Meet. A biology and chemistry major, the Bogota, Colombia native earned NAIA All-American honors in the 800-free relay.
A business administration major with a 3.95 G.P.A., Koetterheinrich had an outstanding sophomore year for the Asuza Pacific tennis team. A native of Muenster, Germany, she posted an 18-0 record in doubles and a 9-4 mark in singles as the fifth-ranked Cougars advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championship.
A junior ice hockey player for Winfrid Laurier, Lester is a junior biology and mathematics major with a 3.90 G.P.A. A native of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, Lester scored five goals and had 14 assists for 19 points for the Golden Hawks, who were ranked No. 1 in Canada at the end of the regular season. The Golden Hawks reclaimed the Ontario University Athletics championship. Lester was honored with the college’s Luke Fusco Academic Achievement Award which recognized the female athlete who best combines academic and athletic achievement.
Hinz, a senior golfer for Northwood (Iowa) College, is an accounting and finance major with a 3.98 G.P.A. A two-time All-Great Plains Athletic Conference selection, she ranked third on the team with a 90.4 scoring average. A native of Cottonwood, Minn., she finished in the top five in two tournaments and placed 13th overall at the four-round, 72-hole GPAC Championship.
A junior nursing major with a 3.94 G.P.A., Rhoades was the performer for the bowling team at Marian (Ind.) University. In only the Knights’ second season of bowling, she was named as an NAIA All-American, an NCBCA All-American, and a member of the NCBCA All-Academic team. Named as the AHIBC Bowler of the Year, she won two tournament titles in 2011-12 and finished with four top five finishes. She was also the eighth-ranked bowler in the nation with a 196.636 average.
A senior tennis player for Lindsey Wilson, Slapeka is a communications major with a 3.57 G.P.A. A native of Jurmala, Latvia, she became the first player in school history to earn first team NAIA All-American honors four times. Honored as the winner of the Mid-South Conference Player of the Year four times, she went 16-2 as a singles player and 18-3 in doubles competition. She helped the Blue Raiders finish the year as the eighth-ranked team in the NAIA.
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (
www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., and ING Bank, fsb,
had $216.5 billion in deposits and $294.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of March 31, 2012. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One and ING Direct offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.
Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN’s Capital One Bowl Week. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot team, Capital One Academic All-America Program, and supports all 89 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.
About the Capital One Academic All-America® Program
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports. For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.
For more information, contact:
Dan O’Connell
Towson University
Academic All-America® Vice-Chair for Publicity/Communications
doconnell@towson.edu
(410) 704-3102
Michael MacEachern
Young Harris College
Academic All-America® College Division Publicity
mfmaceachern@yhc.edu
(706) 379-5106