College Sports Information Directors of America

2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America® of the Year

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Texas A&M Swimmer Sarah Gibson Selected CoSIDA Division I Academic All-America® of the Year

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas A&M University swimming standout Sarah Gibson has been named as the 2016-17 CoSIDA Division I Academic All-America® of the Year, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
 
Gibson is the sixth student-athlete to receive the CoSIDA Division I Academic All-America® of the Year honor and the third at-large performer to earn the award.
 
“It's a great time to be an Aggie! Every practice, homework assignment and team experience at Texas A&M is truly making my dreams come true. It is unimaginable that I have had the opportunity to be chosen for this award, graduate with honors, and represent my country at the FINA World Championships within a few short months,” said Gibson.
 
“I can only thank the long list of people – be they friends, teammates, coaches, professors, or support staff – whose efforts have propelled me forward”
 
Gibson is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America® selection, appearing on the first team for the second year in a row. The San Antonio, Texas, resident graduated with honors after maintaining a 4.0 G.P.A. in biomedical engineering at Texas A&M. Gibson is the second Aggie to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year honors in any sport, and the first since 1987, when football standout (and 2003 Academic All-America® Hall of Fame selection) Kip Corrington received that distinction.
 
In the pool, Gibson was a 15-time All-American and won five SEC titles during her career, competing in the butterfly and freestyle races as an individual and with all of the Aggies’ relays. She was named the SEC Swimmer of the Meet and earned the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy for high-point honors in 2017, helping Texas A&M to its second consecutive SEC crown. The SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year then played a key role in leading the Aggies to a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the best showing in program history.
 
“Sarah Gibson exemplifies the highest standards in college athletics and what it means to be a student-athlete. She is an Academic All-American in every sense of the phrase, and an ideal representative of Texas A&M University’s core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service. There is no doubt in my mind that Sarah is going to change the world,” said Texas A&M Director of Athletics Scott Woodward.
 
Gibson is a member of the U.S. National Team that will compete in the 2017 FINA World Championships this summer in Budapest, Hungary. She was a member of the gold medal 400 medley relay and silver medal 200 medley relay at the 2016 FINA World Championships. Gibson was the school record holder in the 200 free and 100 butterfly, and with the 400 and 800 free relays and the 200 and 400 medley relays.
 
Texas A&M’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year, Gibson was a 2017 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient. She was a three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American, two-time Texas A&M Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earned the President’s Endowed Scholar award.

Carroll College’s Leah Esposito was named the CoSIDA College Division Academic All-America® of the Year Monday (July 17), MIT’s Maryann Gong earned CoSIDA Division III Academic All-America® of the Year (July 18), and Saint Leo’s Marie Coors claimed CoSIDA Division II Academic All-America® of the Year (July 19). Esposito and Gong each won the award for the second straight year.
 

2016-17 Sport-by-Sport NCAA Division I Academic All-America® of the Year Award Winners

 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jeff Schwartz, North Dakota State University
Academic All-America® Co-Director for Publicity
Jeff.Schwartz@ndsu.edu
(701) 793-0538