Wingate, N.C.----Two members of the Wingate University women’s swimming team have been named to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III at-large first team (college division), as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Senior Lara Golesorkhi (Stuttgart, Germany) and junior Nicole Moody (Grovetown, Ga.) represent the Bulldogs on the first team. Both Bulldogs are repeat performers; Golesorkhi is three-time Academic All-District III first team member, while Moody has back-to-back honors in her trophy case. Moody’s family is full of high achievers, as her sister Rebekah Moody Ralph was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® women’s at-large first team (college division) two years in a row (2007, 2008).

District III (college division) includes all non-NCAA Division I schools (Division II, III and NAIA) in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and North and South Carolina. Moody, Golesorkhi and the other eight women’s first team selections move on to the national ballot for 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® honors.

Moody has a perfect 4.00 cumulative GPA with a Psychology major. In the pool, she received honorable mention All-American honors in the 100 Backstroke at the 2010 NCAA Division II championship meet (57.69). Moody and three teammates missed honorable mention All-American distinction in the 400 Freestyle Relay by 44/100 of a second. This year, Moody set the school record in the 100 Backstroke (57.17). She earned All-Blue Grass Mountain Conference laurels in five events at the 2010 BGMC meet.

At the 2009 national meet, Moody and three teammates posted an honorable mention All-American swim in the 200 Medley Relay (1:46.95). In 2009, Moody set school records in the 50 Backstroke (26.93) and the 100 Backstroke (57.46) at the NCAA event. She was All-BGMC in two events the same year.

Moody and three Bulldog teammates earned first team All-American honors in the 400 Medley Relay at the 2008 national meet. During her career, she has one first team All-American honor and four honorable mention All-American laurels. At the 2008 BGMC championships, Moody earned BGMC titles in the 200 Medley Relay and the 400 Medley Relay.

Moody is a member of three national honor societies: Phi Eta Sigma, Alpha Kappa Delta and Phi Chi. She has served on Wingate’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Moody was the co-coordinator of the Union County Special Olympics swimming program (hosted by Wingate University) in 2009 and 2010.

Golesorkhi possesses a cumulative 3.87 GPA with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. She graduated with honors at Wingate’s May Commencement Exercises. In the water, Golesorkhi posted personal bests in the 200 Freestyle (2:00.92) and the 400 Individual Medley (4:55.45) during the 2009-10 season.

In the Bulldog swimming history books, Golesorkhi has recorded three first-team NCAA Division II All-American swims during her four years. She is a six-time Blue Grass Mountain Conference champion and a 17-time All-BGMC pick. During her four years, Wingate has placed third, fourth and second (twice) at the league meet.

On the national scene, Golesorkhi helped Wingate place in the top 15 at the Division II championship meet in 2007 and 2008. She immersed herself in Wingate’s campus life, serving as president of the University’s International Club. Golesorkhi was a UCAN volunteer and a student government representative. She also belongs to three national honor societies: Phi Eta Sigma, Alpha Kappa Delta and Phi Chi.

Golesorkhi received the Jerry and Alice Surratt Award at Wingate’s May Commencement Exercises. The Surratt Award is presented annually to the graduating senior who has made the most significant contributions in the area of international education through scholarship and service. Wingate’s faculty votes on the Commencement Awards.

Student-athletes selected for Academic All-District honors must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. They must possess at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.00 scale). They must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed at least one full academic year at his or her institution.

The women’s at-large line-up for the Academic All-America® program includes the sports of bowling, crew, fencing, golf, gymnastics, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis and water polo. There are five swimmers, three tennis student-athletes and two golfers on the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III women’s at-large first team.

The five swimming student-athletes on the first team share recent connections. University of Tampa senior Stephanie Branham (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) and her Spartan teammates compete against the Bulldogs in the annual Blue Grass Mountain Conference meet in Charlotte. This year (Jan. 23), Golesorkhi and Moody and the Bulldogs ventured to Atlanta to face Emory University seniors Lillian Ciardelli (Hanover, N.H.) and Ruth Westby (Dunwoody, Ga.).

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,159 students offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, world travel, career discovery and community service.

Wingate offers 34 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, communication, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers graduate degrees in business, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration. In addition, the school awards the doctor of pharmacy and the doctor of education degrees.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past four years.

Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 34 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 43 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.

2010 ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT III
WOMEN’S AT-LARGE TEAMS (college division, as selected by CoSIDA)

FIRST TEAM
Marianne Andersson, Florida Southern, golf
Nora Baertschi, Florida Southern, tennis
Stephanie Branham, Tampa, swimming
Lillian Ciardelli, Emory (Ga.), swimming
Albane Flamant, Embry-Riddle (Fla.), golf
Lara Golesorkhi, Wingate, swimming
Christine Johnstone, Lynn, tennis
Michelle Lemmons, Greensboro, tennis
Nicole Moody, Wingate, swimming
Ruth Westby, Emory (Ga.), swimming

SECOND TEAM
Paola Aguilar, Shenandoah, lacrosse
Ellen Bikowski, Mary Washington, lacrosse
Mary Crider, Nova Southeastern, tennis
Kaitlin Flaherty, Methodist, tennis
Katerina Jiskrova, Lynn, tennis
Megan Mathias, Bridgewater, tennis
Emmy Mathews, Washington & Lee, lacrosse
Laura Norris, Virginia Wesleyan, lacrosse
Barbi Pocza, Barry, tennis
Shannon Sabo, Virginia Wesleyan, tennis
Kaitlin Sommer, Shenandoah, lacrosse
Marissa Stickles, Nova Southeastern, rowing

(NOTE: Twelve student-athletes made the second team due to a tie.)