Even before the end of the spring seasons, 11 UR athletes across a wide range of sports have been honored as Division III All-Americans, and three athletes have been named to Academic All-American teams—with the possibility that more will be recognized within the coming weeks.
After an intensive voting process involving coaches and sports information directors from around the nation, All-American athletes are determined to be the most talented competitors from the most prestigious teams in their sport, representing Division III schools from across the nation. Each year, UR prides itself on having a notable number of All- Americans, with an impressive 16 athletes in the 2013-2014 year alone.
“The award definitely boosted my competitiveness,” senior All-American swimmer Lauren Bailey said. “Receiving an All- American honor is a great feeling and made me feel very proud of what I have accomplished. Having swimmers achieve [these] honors reinforces the idea that the team is headed in the right direction.”
At the NCAA Division III Championships that took place in March, the 200-freestyle women’s relay team consisted of Bailey, junior Vicky Luan and sophomores Khamei Simpson and Emily Simon. The team placed tenth in the nation, earning them each an All- American honor.
All-American nominations for individual sports such as swimming, cross-country, track amd field, tennis and squash are dependent on performance at national championships. Athletes are only eligible to participate in these events if they have had outstanding performances throughout the regular season and qualifying competitions.
UR squash competes in both team and individual championships, and this year, four members of the ‘Jackets squad were celebrated for their exemplary performances after the team finished fifth overall in the College Squash Association’s Potter Cup, the national team championships. Sophomores Ryosei Kobayashi and Mario Yanez Tapia became 1st Team All-Americans, respectively finishing third and tenth in individual championships. In addition, Freshman Tomotaka Endo placed 16th and junior Neil Cordell slotted 18th to become 2nd Team All- Americans.
Among team sports such as basketball, soccer and field hockey, the allocation of these awards is also based on both individual and team performance to ensure that those who are qualified for consideration are also part of the most successful teams.
However, the selection process varies from sport to sport. Coaches are first asked to nominate players that they believe should be named to the All-Region Team. Rochester is included in the Eastern Region, which encompasses all of New York State. Based on the selected All-Region team, a smaller committee made up of 25 Sports Information Directors from various colleges then vote in order to come to the final All-American selections.
This year, juniors Michelle Relin and Tara Lamberti of the field hockey team were two of 16 field hockey players from around the nation recognized as 2nd Team All-Americans, and freshman Al Leslie of women’s basketball was one of 30 named as All-American Honorable Mention.
“It is something that I have always personally wanted to accomplish in my time here as an athlete,” Relin said, who helped lead the team to the Liberty League Championships after scoring 45 goals throughout the season. “I am humbled by the award, and am very honored to join great players under such a title.”
In addition to being talented Division III athletes, these individuals are first and foremost students, and each season, the College Sports Information Directors of America nominates an Academic All-American team for each sport. This year, junior Matthew Mender of football and seniors Alex Swanger and Griffin Drake of men’s soccer were honored as part of the Capital One Academic All- America Division III Teams.
“It’s based on a combination of athletic skill, academic prowess and extracurricular participation,” Director of Athletic Communications at UR Dennis O’Connell said.
To even be eligible for the award, student athletes must have a minimum GPA of 3.30 and are selected through a similar process to All-American athletes.
“It takes a lot of work to balance athletics and schoolwork,” Mender said. “I think that what has helped me the most is being genuinely interested in what I am studying, which makes the long hours of work not so bad.”
As a biomedical engineering major and electrical and computer engineering minor, Mender hopes to work with advanced prosthetics and neural engineering.
“I think that accomplishments, whether All-American or Academic All-American[…] [are] good recognition for the school and something that we try to trumpet,” O’Connell said.
The end of the nominating process for the year is currently underway. Track and field considerations will be made once UR competes in the NCAA Division III Championships at the end of the month. UR baseball seniors Sam Slutsky and Josh Schulman and softball sophomore Shelby Corning have just earned Academic All-District honors, meaning that they will now be considered candidates for the Academic All-American Team. These athletes continue to bring prestige to UR, even as the spring season comes to a close.
Douglas is a member of the class of 2017.
