2010 Academic All-America College Division

Towson, Md.----Wingate University women’s swimmers Nicole Moody (jr., Grovetown, Ga.) and Lara Golesorkhi (sr., Stuttgart, Germany) have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® women’s at-large teams (college division), selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Moody is a first team selection, while Golesorkhi is a third team choice.

The women’s at-large program for Academic All-America® includes the sports of bowling, crew, fencing, golf, gymnastics, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis and water polo. Earlier, both Moody and Golesorkhi were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III at-large first team.

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. A member of Wingate’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Moody was the co-coordinator of the Union County Special Olympics swimming program (hosted by the Wingate University swimming teams) 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.

Since January 1, 2000, Wingate University has produced 36 Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with its 36 honorees during this millennium.

Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time frame. Wingate’s 45 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among schools affiliated with the South Atlantic Conference.

The Academic All-America® program annually honors over 1600 student-athletes who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Student-athletes selected for Academic All-America® honors must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. She must possess at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.00 scale). She must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed at least one full academic year at her institution. Student-athletes are nominated by their sports information directors.

Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 15,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine – winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized biweekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America® teams program, please visit the CoSIDA web site at http://www.cosida.com/.

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 36 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 45 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.