CoSIDA Names Clarion’s Jamie Wolf One of Two 2006-07 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Americas of the Year

WALTHAM, Massachusetts, July 31. DIVING national champion Jamie Wolf of Clarion University of Pa. has been selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) as one of two 2006-07 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americas of the Year. Volleyball player Sarah Pavan of the University of Nebraska earned the other spot.

CoSIDA and ESPN The Magazine combine to sponsor 24 Academic All-America programs on the University (NCAA Div. I) and College (NCAA Div. II, III and NAIA) levels. For each program, an Academic All-America of the Year is selected. Wolf was selected from a ballot that included each programs Academic All-America of the Year.

In the College Division, Wolf collected votes from 52 voters, including 29 first-place votes, on the way to compiling 194 points. She outdistanced the field, gaining more than three-times the number of votes of any of her 11 competitors.

Five student-athletes finished within seven points in a tight battle for second place. Swimmer Bill Gaul of Missouri-Rolla scored 60 points to place second, followed by women's basketball all-star Ashley Marble of Southern Maine (58), men's basketball standout Troy Ruths of Washington University (56), football player Ryan Meredith of Pittsburg State (55) and distance runner Elaine Binkley of Denison University (53).

Wolf, a senior molecular biology major with a 4.00 cumulative grade point average, was chosen as the 2006-07 College Division ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americas of the Year. She won the one and three-meter diving competitions at the 2007 NCAA Division II Championship and was named the national diver of the year. During her career, she won seven of eight possible national diving titles and was a three-time NCAA Division II Female Diver of the Year.

"It's truly an honor for me to receive such a prestigious award from ESPN and CoSida. I'd like to thank both organizations, my family, teammates and Clarion University for helping me achieve this award," said Wolf. "I have been very fortunate in my career to always have been surrounded by people who have inspired and motivated me to reach for high goals in the classroom and in athletics. My parents have always been there for me and have given me the drive and motivation to be a success. They helped me set my goals on being strong academically and athletically. At Clarion my coaches, especially coach (Dave) Hrovat, inspired me to be a championship caliber athlete in the classroom and on the diving boards. I couldn't have accomplished this without his guidance. But I also applaud Clarion University and its athletic department for striving to teach all athletes that academic success is the school's mission, while also striving to win athletic championships. We've proven for years that you can succeed in both areas and I'm proud to be a Clarion graduate."

The Academic All-America of the Year honor, which began in 1987-88, is awarded to the most outstanding student-athlete of the year and is chosen from the student-athletes who have been awarded Team Member of the Year honors. From over 360,000 student-athletes in the nation, just 816 are selected as Academic All-America Team members each year, twenty-four are selected as Team Members of the Year and two are named Academic All-America of the Year.

"With nearly 12,000 student athletes being nominated for Academic All-America each year, and considering the number of athletes completing in intercollegiate sports, to reach the epitome of what it means to be a successful student-athlete and be selected as the best of the best is quite an amazing achievement," said Bentley College's Dick Lipe, CoSIDA Academic All-America chair.

Wolf is the second member of an aquatic sport to win the award. She joins Kenyon swimmer Ashley Rowatt in that exclusive club.

ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2006-07
Sarah Pavan, Nebraska (Volleyball)
Jamie Wolf, Clarion (At-Large)

2005-06
Christine Sinclair, Portland (Soccer)
Josh Lamberson, Northwest Missouri St. (Football)

2004-05
Alex Smith, Utah (Football)
Carli Dale, Juniata (Volleyball)

2003-04
Emeka Okafor, Connecticut (Basketball)
Kristen Shields, Whitworth (Track & Field)

2002-03
Theresa Kulikowski, Utah (Gymnastics)
Ashley Rowatt, Kenyon (Swimming)

2001-02
Stacey Dales-Schuman, Oklahoma (Basketball)
T.J. Hess, Widener (Football)

2000-01
Ruth Riley, Notre Dame (Basketball)
Emily Bloss, Emporia State (Basketball)

1999-00
Chad Pennington, Marshall (Football)
Korey Coon, Illinois Wesleyan (Basketball)

1998-99
Matt Stinchcomb, Georgia (Football)
Kelly Schade, Simpson (Softball)

1997-98
Peyton Manning, Tennessee (Football)
Brad Gray, MIT (Football)

1996-97
Danny Wuerffel, Florida (Football)
Julie Roe, Millikin (Basketball)

1995-96*
Todd Fuller, North Carolina St. (Basketball)
Chris Palmer, St. John's (Minn.) (Football)

1994-95
Rebecca Lobo, Connecticut (Basketball)
(tie) Rob Zatechka, Nebraska (Football)

1993-94
Carl Erikson, Oberlin (Tennis)

1992-93
Jim Hansen, Colorado (Football)

1991-92
Tommy Vardell, Stanford (Football)

1990-91
Al Parker, Georgia (Tennis)

1989-90
Alec Kessler, Georgia (Basketball)

1988-89
James Martin, Penn St. (Wrestling)

1987-88
Michael Smith, Brigham Young (Basketball)

* From 1988-1995 only one winner was chosen per year. Beginning in 1996 the format was changed to select one winner per year in each division (college and university).

Special thanks to CoSIDA for contributing this report.

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