Trio of Spartans Earn Academic All-District Honors
TAMPA, Fla. - The 2011 Capital One Academic All‐District ® Men's Soccer Teams, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, have been released and includes University of Tampa men's soccer players Ryan Griffin, David Niepel and Karl Swan.
All Spartans were first-team performers and will now appear on the national ballot for Academic All-American honors. Griffin is a three-time honoree while Swan earns the recognition for the second occasion.
The all-district award recognizes the nation's top student‐athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Capital One became the entitlement rights holder to CoSIDA's Academic All‐America teams programs in 2011.
The Academic All‐District ® teams include the student‐athletes listed on the following pages and are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. This is the first year of the expanded Academic All‐America® program as CoSIDA moves from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non-Division I) and doubles the number of scholar‐athletes honored. The teams include NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian and two‐year schools.
The Capital One Division II and III Academic All‐America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2011‐12 DII and DIII Academic All‐America® teams program.
First‐team Academic All‐District ® honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All‐America® Team ballot, where first‐, second‐ and third‐team All‐America honorees will be selected later this month.