Courtesy: CoSIDA
AUSTIN, Texas – University of Michigan senior swimmer PJ Ransford and Stanford University sophomore swimmer Katie Ledecky headline the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division I Men’s and Women’s At-Large teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Ransford and Ledecky have been selected as the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Team Members of the Year for Division I at-large programs. The at-large teams for the Google Cloud Academic All-America® program include the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming & diving, tennis and water polo for both men and women, as well as beach volleyball, bowling, field hockey and rowing for women, and volleyball and wrestling for men.
Ransford is a three-time Academic All-America® honoree, having earned first-team accolades the past two years. He is also a two-time NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient, a three-time College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-American and three-time CSCAA honorable mention All-American, and the 2016 Big Ten Conference champion in the 1,650-yard freestyle. He is a member of the 2017-18 U.S. National Team. Last month, he was chosen as one of University of Michigan’s recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, as well as the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship. He graduated from Michigan in December with his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, having compiled a perfect 4.00 GPA.
Ledecky is one of the most decorated swimmers in history, having earned five Olympic gold medals and 14 World Championship gold medals, as well as 14 USA Swimming national championships. She is the current world record holder in the 400-meter, 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle events, broke 11 American records, 15 NCAA records and six NCAA meet records during her collegiate career, and won eight NCAA titles, including 2018 crowns in the 500 free, 800 free relay and 1,650 free (setting an NCAA meet record in the latter event). A nine-time CSCAA All-American and 2017 recipient of the Honda-Broderick Cup and Honda Sport Award, Ledecky announced in March she will forego her final two years of NCAA athletic eligibility (while continuing her academic studies at Stanford) to pursue professional opportunities and train for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials after helping Stanford earn its second consecutive NCAA championship.
No less than 38 of the 45 members of the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division I Men’s At-Large Team have at least a 3.90 GPA, with 27 student-athletes maintaining a 4.00 GPA (or better) as either undergraduate or graduate students. The 17 members of the first team (which was expanded due to ties in the voting) have an average GPA of 4.01.
Along with Ransford, the Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division I Men’s At-Large Team features eight other repeat performers from last year’s CoSIDA Academic All-America® At-Large Team – Felix Albert (University of Hawaii), Marat Amaltdinov (Purdue University), Jacopo Gliozzi (College of William & Mary), Kyle Haak (U.S. Air Force Academy), Anton Ipsen (North Carolina State University), Luke Kaliszak (University of Alabama), Clay Ream (North Dakota State University) and Ben Reeves (Yale University).
On the women’s side, 41 of the 45 members of the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division I Women’s At-Large Team achieved at least a 3.90 GPA, with 35 student-athletes compiling a 4.00 GPA (or better) during their undergraduate and/or graduate careers. The 15 members of the first team recorded a 3.99 average GPA.
The Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division I Women’s At-Large Team has eight repeat performers from last year’s CoSIDA Academic All-America® At-Large Team – Mackenzie Brannan (University of Alabama), Danielle Breen (University of Nebraska), Ines Delpech (Kent State University), Elizabeth Gratz (West Virginia University), Josie Kuhlman (University of Florida), Leona Maguire (Duke University), Alex McMurtry (University of Florida) and Ginny Thrasher (West Virginia University) — with Brannan, Gratz and McMurtry each earning their third Academic All-America® citation this year.
2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America® At-Large Teams – NCAA Division I
MEN’S TEAM
| FIRST TEAM | |||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Tennis | Felix Albert (3) | University of Hawaii | Sr. | 4 | Finance |
| Swimming | Laurent Bams | University of Alabama | Jr. | 4 | Accounting |
| Tennis | Linus Erhart | University of Nebraska | Gr. | 4.00/3.91 | International Business Management / MBA |
| Gymnastics | Jacopo Gliozzi (2) | College of William & Mary | Jr. | 4 | Physics |
| Volleyball | Alex Harthaller | Pepperdine University | Sr. | 4 | International Business |
| Golf | Alex Herrmann | Georgia State University | Sr. | 4.14 | Managerial Sciences |
| Swimming | Robert Howard | University of Alabama | Jr. | 4 | Accounting |
| Swimming | Anton Ipsen (1) | North Carolina State University | Sr. | 4 | Industrial Engineering |
| Swimming | Luke Kaliszak (1) | University of Alabama | Sr. | 3.98 | Pre-Med |
| Volleyball | Marko Kostich | Harvard University | Sr. | 4 | Statistics |
| Swimming | Riley League | Davidson College | Sr. | 4 | Philosophy / Economics |
| Ice Hockey | Olivier Mantha | University of Alaska Anchorage | Sr. | 4 | Mathematics |
| Swimming | PJ Ransford (1) (*) | University of Michigan | Sr. | 4 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Wrestling | Clay Ream (1) | North Dakota State University | Sr. | 3.97 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
| Gymnastics | Noah Roberson | Penn State University | Jr. | 4 | Biomedical Engineering / Biomechanical Eng. |
| Tennis | Peter Tarwid | Brown University | Sr. | 4 | Economics |
| Golf | Nathan Tenpas | Davidson College | Sr. | 4 | Mathematics |
| SECOND TEAM | |||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Golf | James Beckner | Middle Tennessee State University | Jr. | 4 | Biology |
| Skiing | Martin Bergstroem | University of Utah | Sr. | 3.94 | Mathematics |
| Tennis | Nuno Borges | Mississippi State University | Jr. | 3.84 | Kinesiology |
| Swimming | Chris Cole | Southern Illinois University | Jr. | 4 | Journalism |
| Wrestling | Adam Coon | University of Michigan | Gr. | 3.57/4.00 | Space Engineering (G) / Aerospace Eng. (UG) |
| Swimming | Caeleb Dressel | University of Florida | Sr. | 3.3 | Natural Resource Conservation |
| Tennis | William Edin | Idaho State University | Gr. | 4.00/4.00 | MBA |
| Ice Hockey | Kyle Haak (3) | U.S. Air Force Academy | Jr. | 3.96 | Physics |
| Golf | Zach Jewell | Bradley University | Sr. | 4 | Marketing |
| Tennis | Brooks Kendall | Creighton University | Sr. | 4 | Financial Analysis |
| Gymnastics | Robert Neff | Stanford University | Sr. | 3.67 | Computer Science |
| Gymnastics | Brian Schibler | University of Oklahoma | Jr. | 4 | Chemical Biosciences / Spanish |
| Swimming | Andreas Vazaios | North Carolina State University | Jr. | 3.93 | Psychology |
| Wrestling | Corey Wilding | U.S. Naval Academy | Sr. | 3.99 | Operations Research |
| THIRD TEAM | |||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Ice Hockey | Dylan Abood | U.S. Air Force Academy | Sr. | 3.85 | Electrical Engineering |
| Swimming | Marat Amaltdinov (2) | Purdue University | Gr. | 3.81/3.67 | Finance |
| Lacrosse | Chris Blewitt | Saint Joseph’s University | Sr. | 3.9 | Finance / Economics |
| Gymnastics | Christian Correale | U.S. Naval Academy | Jr. | 3.97 | Applied Mathematics |
| Fencing | Eli Dershwitz | Harvard University | Jr. | 3.75 | History |
| Fencing | Pascual Di Tella | Duke University | Sr. | 3.67 | Political Science / Philosophy |
| Swimming | Pawel Furtek | University of Southern California | Sr. | 3.92 | Computer Engineering & Computer Science |
| Lacrosse | Conor Gaffney | Lehigh University | So. | 4 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Lacrosse | Nick Griffin | UMBC | So. | 4 | Chemical Engineering |
| Swimming | Mitchell Petras | Louisiana State University | Jr. | 4 | Petroleum Engineering |
| Gymnastics | Yaroslav Pochinka | University of Minnesota | Sr. | 3.91 | Neuroscience |
| Tennis | Logan Powell | Lamar University | Sr. | 4 | Psychology |
| Lacrosse | Ben Reeves (3) | Yale University | Sr. | 3.89 | Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology |
| Tennis | Dustin Werner | Campbell University | Jr. | 4 | Economics & Business Administration |
Google Cloud Academic All-America® of the Year: PJ Ransford, University of Michigan
(1) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team selection in 2017
(2) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team selection in 2017
(*) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team selection in 2016
WOMEN’S TEAM
| FIRST TEAM | |||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Swimming | Nele Albers | Fordham University | Sr. | 4 | Computer Science |
| Gymnastics | Mackenzie Brannan (1) (*) | University of Alabama | Sr. | 4 | Psychology |
| Gymnastics | Danielle Breen (2) | University of Nebraska | Sr. | 4 | Accounting |
| Rowing | Stephanie Call | University of Tulsa | Sr. | 4 | Chemical Engineering |
| Field Hockey | Ines Delpech (2) | Kent State University | Sr. | 4 | Sociology |
| Lacrosse | Gabriella Di Domizio | Iona College | Sr. | 4 | ACS Chemistry |
| Swimming | Ella Eastin | Stanford University | Jr. | 3.75 | Human Biology |
| Golf | Madison Glennie | Drake University | Sr. | 4 | English / Law, Politics & Society |
| Rifle | Elizabeth Gratz (1) ($) | West Virginia University | Sr. | 4 | Marketing |
| Skiing | Katharine Irwin | University of New Mexico | Jr. | 4.1 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
| Tennis | Josie Kuhlman (2) | University of Florida | Sr. | 4 | Public Relations |
| Swimming | Katie Ledecky | Stanford University | So. | 3.99 | Psychology |
| Swimming | Hannah Moore | North Carolina State University | Sr. | 4 | Nutrition Science |
| Rowing | Nicole Van Oort | George Mason University | Sr. | 4 | Mathematics |
| Swimming | Sydney Zupan | Missouri State University | Sr. | 4 | Cell & Molecular Biology |
| SECOND TEAM | |||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Tennis | Brittney Covington | Austin Peay State University | Sr. | 4 | Biology / English |
| Rowing | Paige Danielson | Washington State University | Jr. | 4 | Electrical Engineering |
| Swimming | Alicia Finnigan | Liberty University | Jr. | 4 | Interdisciplinary Studies |
| Water Polo | Makenzie Fischer | Stanford University | So. | 3.99 | Undeclared |
| Tennis | Lindsey Hodge | Rice University | Sr. | 4.02 | Sport Management |
| Bowling | Jalesa Johnson | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | Sr. | 4 | Rehabilitation Psychology |
| Golf | Roberta Liti | Arizona State University | Sr. | 4 | Management / Business |
| Golf | Leona Maguire (1) | Duke University | Sr. | 3.94 | Psychology / Markets & Management Certificate |
| Gymnastics | Alex McMurtry (1) ($) | University of Florida | Sr. | 3.98 | Applied Physiology & Kinesiology |
| Tennis | Lily Miyazaki | University of Oklahoma | Sr. | 4 | Mathematics (UG) / Mgt. of Information Tech. (G) |
| Field Hockey | Selina Reichert | Quinnipiac University | Sr. | 4 | Biomedical Studies |
| Tennis | Grace Summers | Eastern Illinois University | Sr. | 4 | Kinesiology & Sports Studies / Exercise Science |
| Rifle | Ginny Thrasher (2) | West Virginia University | Jr. | 3.9 | Biomedical Engineering |
| Golf | Lauren Tibbets | Butler University | Jr. | 4 | Actuarial Science |
| Swimming | Temarie Tomley | University of Alabama | Sr. | 4 | Human Performance Exercise Science |
| Tennis | Lidia Yanes Garcia | Austin Peay State University | Jr. | 4 | Computer Science |
| THIRD TEAM | |||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| Ice Hockey | Janine Alder | St. Cloud State University | So. | 4 | Mass Communications |
| Ice Hockey | Sydney Baldwin | University of Minnesota | Sr. | 3.6 | Human Resources Develop. / Health Services Mgmt. |
| Tennis | Sofia Blanco | Oklahoma State University | Jr. | 4 | Psychology |
| Swimming | Sharli Brady | University of Missouri | Sr. | 3.84 | Communication Sciences & Disorders |
| Tennis | Andie Daniell | University of Alabama | Jr. | 4 | Human Performance Exercise Science |
| Golf | Kristen Gillman | University of Alabama | So. | 4 | Marketing |
| Tennis | Paula Goetz | West Virginia University | Jr. | 4 | Industrial Engineering |
| Swimming | Bryn Handley | Southern Illinois University | Sr. | 4 | Behavior Analysis & Therapy |
| Skiing | Julie Mohagen | University of Utah | Jr. | 4 | Finance |
| Ice Hockey | Sidney Peters | University of Minnesota | Sr. | 3.74 | Kinesiology |
| Bowling | Kristin Quah | Vanderbilt University | Jr. | 3.95 | Biomedical & Electrical Engineering |
| Tennis | Dany Raygadas | Southeastern Louisiana University | Sr. | 4 | Computer Science |
| Golf | Petra Salko | University of Oregon | Jr. | 4.08 | Business Administration |
| Swimming | Asia Seidt | University of Kentucky | So. | 4 | Kinesiology |
Google Cloud Academic All-America® of the Year: Katie Ledecky, Stanford
(1) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team selection in 2017
(2) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team selection in 2017
(*) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team selection in 2016
($) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® third team selection in 2016
A lot of smart, fast, hard workers here, but re: Ransford, I am having trouble wrapping my mind around how it is possible to train as a world-class distance swimmer while getting a perfect GPA in MechEng at Michigan. Completely bonkers and so impressive.
Is it known it Michigan gives 3.6-3.7 for an A-? If they do the method where any A = 4.0, that makes it a lot easier. Still a feat: mech engineering is very hard, and Michigan is a very tough school.
Congrats to PJ Ransford! A great talent, exceptional student and even better person! Well deserved, my friend!
Not trying to be negative here, but Dressel and his 3.3 seem slightly out of place…
Yes I wonder how they weigh the GPA against the athletic performance.
Also, not sure why Asia Seidt is third team with a 4.0 and Sydney Zupan is first team with a 4.0 when Asia is a much better swimmer.
Sydney Zupan is a senior and Asia Seidt is a sophomore. No freshman made first team and the only sophomore to do so is Katie Ledecky.
Agree. The 3.3 is an outlier. I wonder if they also consider the rigor of the major and academic standings of the college.
So natural resource conservation gets a bump?
Does it get to be any more “P.C.”? For virtue-signalling purposes, this major carries an automatic bump.
yeah – still a solid GPA though!
Someone please ask what class and what grade resulted in Ledecky getting a 3.99, I guarantee you it drives her more nuts than any swimming struggle she has ever had.
Stanford gives out 4.3s for A+s so she’s got a good shot at bringing it back up above a 4.0.
I wondered how she could get a GPA so close to 4.00 without actually being a 4.00. It seems impossible that she had taken 100 classes with 99 As and 1 B.
Classes probably have different credit amounts, so an B in a 4 credit class affects someone’s GPA more than a B in a 1 credit class etc.
I was wondering the same thing. Stanford’s scale is a bit odd with an A+ as a 4.3, and A as a 4.0, and an A- as a 3.7, so potentially she got a equal number of A+’s as A-‘s in classes but may have something like one more credit hour that was an A- verses an A+. Personally, I prefer the simple 4.0 scale. It’s much more straightforward.
Not counting the current quarter, if she took 4 courses for each of 5 quarters, and got 19 As and 1 A- and all had equal weight, that would be a GPA of exactly 3.985 which would round up to 3.99.
Those 1 credit hours Bs will get you every time. 😕