Georgia’s Julie Hardt Named the State’s “SportsWoman of the Year”

ATHENS, Ga., FEb. 8. —Former Georgia All-American Julie Hardt has been named
the Georgia Commission on Women’s Sports “Sportswoman of the Year.”
Hardt, who was a swimmer with the Lady Bulldogs from 2000 to 2004, will
be honored at the 2005 National Girls and Women’s Sports Day awards
banquet Wednesday, February 9, at The Crowne Plaza-Airport in Atlanta.

The award is given annually by the Georgia Women’s Intersport Network
to a female over the age of 18 who has represented her sport/sports
through performance, leadership and community service. Phyllis Tuggle
of the Atlanta Track Club was last year’s recipient.

The Georgia Women’s Intersport Network, known as GA-WIN, is in its 19th
year of service. The organization works to enhance the visibility of
girls’ and women’s athletics as well as increase public awareness of
Title IX. GA-WIN has also been instrumental in legislation passed to
recognize female athletes.

“This is a well deserved and gigantic honor for Julie, our program and
the University of Georgia,” said Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle. “She
continues the tradition of outstanding student-athletes in our women’s
program that have won NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, NCAA Woman of the
Year awards and now this. We are proud of her and for everything she
stands for.”

Last fall Hardt was named an NCAA Woman of the Year finalist, and she
is the fifth Georgia swimmer to earn such distinction. Hardt and Georgia
gymnast Kinsey Rowe were recipients of the NCAA Postgraduate
Scholarship, representing the 51st and 52nd won by University of
Georgia student-athletes, the fifth-highest total of any school in the
nation.

“None of this came easy, which makes this an even more important
award,” added Bauerle. “She has worked as hard as possible in the
classroom and the pool.”

A native of Carson City, Nevada, Hardt was an eight-time All-American
and earned honorable mention All-America accolades five times. She was
a member of the 2001 NCAA-winning 800-yard freestyle relay. She helped
lead the Lady Bulldogs to the 2001 NCAA team title and three runner-up
finishes (2002-04), while finishing in the top three at the SEC Championships each year.

Hardt also earned a gold medal as part of the U.S. 800-meter freestyle
relay at the 2001 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

Hardt, the daughter of Christopher and Adrienne Hardt, has been equally
successful in the classroom, as she currently stands with a 3.8 grade point average and is expected to graduate in May 2005 with a degree in Exercise Science and Psychology.

She has been a member of the Presidential Scholar (4.0 term GPA) or the Dean's List (3.5 term GPA) every semester at UGA. She is member of the Golden Key and National Society of Collegiate Scholars and is a three-time member of both the SEC Academic Honor Roll and the College Swim Coaches Association All-Academic Team.

Hardt's volunteer work while at Georgia includes the Athens Mentoring Program, St. Mary's Hospital, Hero to the Hedges, Adopt-A-Family, the Athens Food Bank, Catch the Spirit swim camp, Toys for Tots and the Habitat for Humanity Women's Build.

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