Florida’s Elizabeth Beisel, Brad deBorde Awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships

GAINESVILLE, Florida, May 7. Florida swimmers Elizabeth Beisel and Brad deBorde have been selected as the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients for the winter sports season for the 2013-14 academic year. Beisel and deBorde become Florida’s 52nd and 53rd student-athletes to receive this prestigious honor.

Beisel and deBorde become Florida Swimming and Diving’s 15th and 16th NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients. Thirteen of those honors have come during Head Coach Gregg Troy’s 16 years in Gainesville.

“A postgraduate scholarship is a tribute to the type of athletes that we bring in and shows the type of people we are looking,” Troy said. “Tim Aydt, our academic advisor, does a great job helping our student-athletes navigate through school and points them in the right direction. Brad and Elizabeth are fantastic individuals as well as tremendous athletes. They are some of the most accomplished people to compete for this program. To succeed like they have in the pool and still accomplish all that they have academically speaks volumes for the athletes themselves and what we’re trying to do here at Florida.”

Beisel will leave Florida as one of the most decorated student-athletes to ever represent the Orange and Blue. A two-time USA Olympian and two-time Olympic medalist, Beisel finished her UF career with two NCAA championships, nine SEC titles and 18 All-American honors.

A telecommunications major from North Kingstown, R.I., Beisel has also racked up multiple achievements outside of the pool. Last year, the three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member became just the 11th student-athlete in Florida history to be named Capital One Academic All-America of the Year, earning the distinction for the women’s At-Large team. In addition, Beisel was elected to the 2012 and 2013 Capital One Academic At-Large First Team, joining Tracy Caulkins as the only two female Gators to be named to the first team twice.

deBorde was named the SEC Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in April and will graduate UF in December with a degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering. deBorde has been a leader in UF’s athletic community and a key member both inside and outside of the pool for the swim program, serving as the Student-Athlete Advisory Council President and as one of the 2013-14 team captains. deBorde has also been named to the College of Engineering Dean’s List for four consecutive years.

A relative unknown turned two-time SEC Champion from Longwood, Fla., deBorde ended his career with both of UF’s sprint records and with 20 All-American honors, becoming Florida’s ninth ever swimmer with 20 or more honors at the NCAA Championships. deBorde captured SEC titles in the 50 freestyle in 2012 and 2014 and was the bronze medalist in the event at the 2014 NCAA Championships.

“It is pretty interesting how the two of them succeeded because Brad came in an unheralded guy and not very recruited, and Elizabeth is the opposite end of the spectrum,” Troy said. “Both of them had highly successful careers and improved every year here at Florida. Elizabeth has enjoyed huge success on the international scene and Brad has a great deal of success in the collegiate scene. It is tremendous what they have both done.”

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship award is a scholarship for part-time or full-time postgraduate study at a university or professional school.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com.

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