General | 6/7/2017 12:26:00 PM
Three Wayne State University female student-athletes received Academic All-America recognition from CoSIDA as announced by the organization earlier today. Redshirt senior swimmer
Manuela Ferreira (Ibague, Colombia) and redshirt senior fencer
Zuzanna Sobczak (Gdansk, Poland) were both voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team, while senior diver
Elizabeth Rawlings (Armada, Mich. / Romeo) earned Second Team accolades.
Ferreira becomes the 11th person in WSU history to be a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American after receiving Third Team Honors in 2015. A year ago, swimmer
Elly Maleski became the first WSU student-athlete to be a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American in the 65-year history of the program.
Ferreira (3.82 chemical engineering) was a three-time First Team All-American in 2017 as a member of the 200 medley relay that finished third at NCAAs and the sixth-place 400 medley relay. Individually, she took fifth in the 100 breast. During her collegiate career, Ferreira was a six-time All-American, including a three-time First Team All-American. She previously received Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American recognition in 2015. She also won six conference titles (three in the 200 medley relay, twice in the 400 medley relay, and once in the 100 breaststroke). She redshirted in 2016 in an attempt to make the Colombian Olympic Swimming Team. A four-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honoree, Ferreira was a 2017 recipient of the GLIAC Winter Sports Commissioner's Award for academic and athletic excellence.
Sobczak (3.95 civil engineering) finished ninth in the nation at the 2017 NCAA Fencing Collegiate Championships to earn Honorable Mention All-American accolades. During her collegiate career, she qualified all four years for the NCAA Championships, and was a three-time Honorable Mention All-American (finishing 9th-12th). Sobczak compiled a career record of 321-107 career record. A three-time CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District honoree, she received the 2017 Deans' Award for having the highest cumulative GPA of all student-athletes in that college. Sobczak was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (Term GPA 3.5+) all eight terms, including five 4.00. Sobczak and male fencer Ziad Elsissy's selection to a CoSIDA Academic All-American team mark the first for the fencing program since Ettore Bianchi was a First Team honoree in 1984.
Rawlings (3.72 in nursing) was the 2017 GLIAC Female Diver of the Year along with earning two First Team All-American certificates as she finished second on the three-meter board and third on the one-meter board at the NCAA Championships. During her collegiate career, Rawlings was an eight-time All-American (maximum for divers). She won the three-meter competition in 2015 with a national record score. She had three national runner-up finishes (one-meter in 2015, and three-meter in 2016 and 2017). In eight GLIAC Championship events during her career, Rawlings was a two-time conference champion and a four-time league runner-up. The 2015 CSCAA National Female Diver of the Year, she was a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence team honoree.
The selections of Ferreira and Rawlings give the WSU men's and women's swimming and diving programs 22 CoSIDA Academic All-American selections in school history, and all in the last 13 years. They join Erika Barczak (2008-1st Team),
Manuela Ferreira (2015-3rd Team), Nathan Hesche (2013-2nd Team), Soren Holm (2015-1st Team),
Kristian Larsen (2014-2nd Team), Matthew Laschuk (2010-2nd Team and 2011-1st Team), Catherine Leix (2011-1st Team and 2012-1st Team*),
Hannah Loesch (2015-3rd Team and 2016-1st Team), David Lutz (2005-3rd Team),
Elly Maleski (2014-2nd Team, 2015-2nd Team and 2016-2nd Team),
Kayla Scott (2013-1st Team and 2014-1st Team), Carly Sevald (2013-2nd Team), Ashley St.Andrew (2010-2nd Team) and Dylan Szegedi (2013-2nd Team).
*-Voted CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year.
Swimming and Fencing do not have their own CoSIDA Academic All-American teams, instead swimming and fencing are included in the At-Large category joining with other Olympic sports such as Women's Beach Volleyball, Women's Bowling, Women's Crew/Rowing, Women's Field Hockey, Men's and Women's Golf, Men's and Women's Gymnastics, Men's and Women's Ice Hockey, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Men's and Women's Rifle, Men's and Women's Skiing, Men's and Women's Swimming, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Water Polo and Men's Wrestling.
