UGA Scores Well on APR

The NCAA's Academic Progress Report -- which measures eligibility, retention and graduation covering 2005-2009 -- was released today, and among many solid performances throughout the UGA athletics department, the football score will likely garner the most headlines.

Georgia's football program earned a score of 973 -- second-best in the SEC behind only Vanderbilt. (You can view the full list of scores HERE.)

Amid all the hot-seat discussion in Destin last week, Mark Richt offered his philosophy on career longevity that I was reminded of while looking over the APR numbers.

On his coaching philosophy:

“My mind-set has always been let’s do what I think we need to do to succeed and try not to be influenced by anything other than the people closest to the program. Quite frankly my goal has always been to conduct myself in a way that the university will be proud. … I’m trying to do things in a way with a lot of integrity and a lot of character and hopefully we’re still winning games and educating young men.”

On career longevity:

“I came from Florida State. I was with Coach Bowden who had been there forever. That was kind of the model that I saw and really aspired to have. When I left Florida State, my goal was to find a place I could coach for the rest of my career, and that’s what I found in Georgia. I think if you make decisions based on the longhaul and treat people the way they should be treated, then I don’t think it’s impossible to do.”

I think part of what Richt means when he says those things is that these numbers released today are roughly as important to him as the numbers in the standings each December -- and in the long run, people will respect that enough to overlook the occasional shortcomings the team might have on the field.

I'm not sure how far that philosophy really will carry a coach. After all, the lone SEC team ahead of Georgia in APR is Vandy, and that's probably not going to get many people to overlook the lack of a conference win last year.

But these numbers definitely should earn a program a healthy dose of extra credit, and regardless of how good a job you think Richt has done on the field, it's nice to see the results of his work off it.

Here's the full UGA release on the Bulldogs' APR scores...

The University of Georgia women’s basketball, gymnastics, and men’s golf team scores in the annual NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) released Wednesday were tops among all Southeastern Conference schools. The Bulldog football team’s 973 APR score ranked second best in the SEC behind only Vanderbilt. The UGA men’s basketball team ranked fifth best in the league.

The Academic Progress Rate, now in its sixth year, measures the eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team. It also serves as a predictor of graduation success. The most recent APR scores are multi-year rates based on the scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09 academic years.

NCAA sports falling below the established point cutoff of 925 are subject to penalties including scholarship reductions. UGA will not incur any penalties as all 20 NCAA Bulldog sports were significantly above the cutoff score.

Other Bulldog teams ranking among the SEC’s top five include women’s cross country (2nd), women’s swimming (3rd), men’s cross country (3rd), men’s indoor track and field (4th), women’s indoor track and field (4th), and men’s outdoor track and field (5th).

While all Georgia sports were above the established cutoff, 11 actually increased their team scores over last year—baseball, men’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s swimming, men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s basketball, gymnastics, soccer, women’s swimming, and volleyball.

“We continue to perform well with our APR numbers and that’s a testament to our student-athletes’ hard work as well as the efforts of everyone involved in supporting their academic endeavors,” said UGA Director of Athletics Damon Evans. “We are especially pleased with women’s basketball, gymnastics, and men’s golf ranking #1 among SEC schools. Additionally, football continues to perform at a high level finishing just shy of the number one spot in the conference. The improvement in scores from last year for 11 of our teams is also a great indicator for our programs moving forward. We’ll continue our commitment to graduation and helping our student-athletes reach their goals.”

Georgia’s football APR of 973 was only two points behind league-leading Vanderbilt. The Lady Bulldog basketball and men’s golf teams both scored 1000.

Practice Notes: Christmas Comes Early for Bobo

With five children between ages 2 and 5, Christmas is an exciting time of year in Mike Bobo’s house. But with Georgia set to depart for Shreveport, La. on Thursday, the normal holiday routine had to change a bit.

Since Bobo and his family will be in Shreveport on Christmas day with the Bulldogs preparing for their bowl date with Texas A&M, the schedule was moved up a bit. The Bobos held Christmas Eve festivities tonight and Christmas day comes Wednesday.

“My kids are jacked, and I’m jacked, too,” Bobo said.

While Bobo admits his wife did most of the shopping, he had the crucial job of ensuring that Santa was aware of the tweaked holiday schedule at his house. Luckily for him, Santa was happy to oblige.

“It just happens that we’re playing the 28th, so Santa’s coming early,” Bobo said. “We wrote him a letter, and he wrote back and said if they’re nice to mom, he’ll come early.”

GRADES ARE IN

Georgia head coach Mark Richt got some good news on the academic front as the Bulldogs wrapped up their final practice of the year in Athens. No players have been ruled academically ineligible for the bowl game on Dec. 28, and the overall efforts of the team in the classroom during the fall semester were exceptional, he said.

While results aren’t official yet, Richt said he was told 43 players earned a 3.0 GPA or better during the fall semester, and the overall team GPA was better than 2.7.

“No one has really any issues going into the spring as far as grade point average and all the number of hours needed is very manageable,” Richt said. “So it was really a very successful semester academically.”

TALKING IT OVER

While Georgia will bid farewell to a large group of seniors after the Independence Bowl, two juniors on defense could be departing, too.

Linebacker Rennie Curran and safety Reshad Jones are both considering leaving school a year early for the NFL draft, and Richt said he has spoken with both players about their decisions. While he said he’s offered advice to both Curran and Jones, he said neither has made up their mind and both are focused on ending the season – and possibly their careers – on a high note against Texas A&M.

“We’ve had some conversations, but more of the trying to make sure we’re getting good information and not putting this decision before finishing out their careers in a very positive way,” Richt said. “They’re definitely thinking about it. But neither one has definitely said I’m doing one thing or the other at this point.”

BOYKIN TO THE RESCUE

Georgia held its final practice in Athens this season on Tuesday with a morning workout that focused primarily on special teams. The practice ended, however, with the annual pre-Christmas conditioning in which Richt made the team run 10 half-gassers – across the width of the football field and back – unless a player stepped up to sing a Christmas carol in front of his teammates.

“Somebody had to stand up in front of the team and sing at least a verse or two of a song,” Richt said. “It was Chester Adams for years. He would sing ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,’ and he’d do a great job of that.”

This year, the volunteers were sparse, but finally cornerback Brandon Boykin stepped up to offer his voice to save some running – about 500 yards worth, according to Richt – for his teammates.

“He sang something about a mistletoe, I’m not quite sure,” Richt said. “But he sang it well. He cut those gassers in half, so that was a good deal.”

TUNING IN FOR BOWDEN

Bobby Bowden, will be coaching the final game of his career on Jan. 1, and his former protégé hasn’t ruled out a trip to watch.

Richt said he’ll definitely tune in for the game, but wouldn’t rule out a trip to Jacksonville to watch it in person. The truth is, he said, he hadn’t yet considered the fact that he would be off work on the first of the year.

“I haven’t thought about it,” Richt said. “I guess I’m so used to playing on the first you don’t think about being able to do something like that.”

SIMMER DOWN

With the Christmas holiday looming and Georgia’s bowl game less than a week away, Richt said his search for a new defensive coordinator is likely to take a backseat for a few days, at least.

“We’ll work on that more after the bowl games,” Richt said. “But we’ll get it done.”

EXTRA POINTS

-- Richt noted that things would look a quite different on Georgia's practice fields the next time the Bulldogs got together in Athens for a full practice. Construction is ongoing at the Butts-Mehre facility, with concrete being poured and steel being put into place for an expansion to the football facilities. In the meantime, team meeting rooms have been moved to trailers and the team set up a temporary weight room in Stegeman Coliseum that Richt dubbed, "the dungeon."

-- Richard Samuel said he's feeling back to normal after suffering a concussion during practice prior to the Georgia Tech game last month. “I remembered everything that happened, but at the beginning of it, I didn’t think it was that bad," Samuel said of the injury. "But the symptoms kept reoccurring.” That has since cleared up, and he said he'll be able to play in Georgia's bowl game, where he is expected to start on several special teams units as well as back up Caleb King and Washaun Ealey at tailback.

Practice Notes: Smith Wants Bigger Role on Offense

All season, he’s been Georgia’s secret weapon on offense, but Branden Smith is hoping his role on that side of the ball can continue to expand in Georgia’s bowl game and beyond.

Used primarily as a reserve cornerback, Smith has done a little of everything in his freshman season – returning kicks, running the Wild Cat, playing wide receiver and working out of the backfield. That role on the offensive side of the ball is something he’d like to do more of starting with Georgia’s bowl game against Texas A&M.

“I really hope so,” Smith said. “I would like to play offense a lot more during the bowl game. I think I deserve it. Our offense has been on a roll, so I really hope they use me more on offense.”

Smith finished the season with 17 carries for 211 yards rushing and two catches for seven yards, including two big plays for touchdowns against South Carolina and Tennessee Tech.

The problem, however, has been Smith’s ball handling. He has two fumbles on special teams this season that were recovered by the opposition and he has put the ball on the ground on offense as well. So despite his tremendous athleticism, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said he’s not ready to hand the ball to Smith with regularity until his fumbling problems are under control.

“He’s got to hang on to the ball,” Bobo said. “If he hangs on to the ball, he’ll get more of a role. Right now, laying it on the ground, he’s a bit more limited. We’ll still have things this game, but he’s got to hang on to the football to be able to carry the football.”

Beyond holding on to the football, Smith faces the challenge of adjusting to a new defensive coordinator and secondary coach next season, and his time on the defensive side of the ball had already been limited so he could work with the offense, too.

But while this season hasn’t been perfect, Smith has shown he can be a dangerous weapon in all three aspects of the game, and that’s something he expects to continue.

“I have high expectations for myself,” Smith said. “I think I played pretty good, but not as good as I expected. Next year I’m going to be coming into the season with my mind set and my goals high.”

DAVIS SPRAINS ANKLE

Heralded as one of the saviors of Georgia’s running game, right tackle Josh Davis could be in jeopardy of missing the Independence Bowl with a sprained ankle.

Davis, who was inserted into the starting lineup against Vanderbilt, helped revitalize Georgia’s offensive line and sparked a renewed rushing attack, but injured his ankle during Wednesday’s practice. He has not practiced since, but head coach Mark Richt said the team is hopeful that Davis will be able to play by the time the Bulldogs hit the field against Texas A&M on Dec. 28.

“He’s not practicing right now but the good news is that there’s a lot of time between now and then and no other obligations but to get treatment two or three times a day,” Richt said. “We’re all hopeful.”

Clint Boling opened the season at right tackle but has since moved to the left side, meaning Justin Anderson or Vince Vance would be the likely replacements if Davis is unable to play.

“Right now I think we’d put Vince in there first, but that doesn’t mean that’s how it will go,” Richt said. “But between Vince and (Anderson), that would be the next logical choice.”

GEATHERS ON THE GO?

Richt has lauded freshman defensive tackle Kwame Geathers for his efforts to get his body into shape this season, and Geathers even earned the defensive scout team player of the year award at the Bulldogs’ annual end-of-season gala, but defensive tackles coach Rodney Garner said the future remains a bit unclear for the freshman.

Geathers arrived late this fall after a delay in his academic qualification by the NCAA and he struggled badly with his conditioning early on. He has shed more than 35 pounds from his frame since then, however, and Garner said Geathers is ready for playing time next year. He’s just not sure whether that action will come on offense or defense.

“I think Kwame’s worked really hard,” Garner said. “He’s a great young man. We’ve just got to find a spot that he can help the team the quickest.”

Asked if that meant a transition to the offensive line could be in store for Geathers, Garner said it was a possibility, but nothing had been determined so far.

“He could play anywhere,” Garner said. “We’ve just got to find the best place for him and wherever is the best place for the team.”

MAKING THE GRADE

While fall semester grades are still trickling in for Georgia’s players, Richt said he doesn’t anticipate any problems among the team in remaining eligible to play in the bowl game.

“I’ve heard no concern that we’re on the ropes with anybody,” Richt said. “Usually by now if there was something cooking I would have heard something from an academic counselor that we’re waiting on this one with pins and needles. I don’t think we’re in that situation.”

Practice Notes: Ealey, Lott Out With Injuries

The injuries haven’t been serious, but the dings and scrapes are starting to mount for Georgia after a week of practice.

Freshmen Washaun Ealey and Derrick Lott are the latest Bulldogs to come up lame after both hyperextended their elbows on separate plays during Friday’s practice. Neither injury is considered serious, head coach Mark Richt said, but both players will be kept out of contract drills Monday.

“There’s no damage as far as broken bones or anything like that,” Richt said of Ealey’s injury. “It won’t need any kind of surgery. It just swelled up a little bit, and when the swelling goes down and he thinks he can get going again, he’ll go, but I can’t say how long.”

While Lott is considered a longshot to earn playing time behind a trio of senior defensive tackles this season, but Ealey is part of a five-man race to earn carries at tailback.

Richt said the injury could be a setback for Ealey, but assuming the freshman continues learning at the same pace, the missed action won’t necessarily prevent him from remaining in the mix for carries.

“He’ll have plenty of time if he can keep learning without the reps,” Richt said. “He’ll be able to do ball-handling drills and probably pass skeleton drills soon, he just won’t be able to go full contact.”

READY TO RUMBLE

Georgia wrapped up its first week of fall practice Saturday under a glaring sun that had players a bit antsy to get in a few licks before two-a-days begin Monday.

“Practice was hot and nasty, and everybody was in a bad mood, which was OK,” Richt said. “The emotions were flying pretty good, and they’re ready for Monday. They’re ready to put the pads on and start playing football.”

Perhaps no player is more eager to get a few hits in than senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens, who missed nearly all of the 2008 season following a torn ACL he suffered early in Georgia’s opening game against Georgia Southern.

Owens said his knee has felt fine throughout the team’s first five practices, but donning full pads and laying out a few hits on Monday morning will be a true test – and a big reward.

“I love when guys come out and want to hit,” Owens said. “That makes me want to get out there and hit somebody – especially for me because I haven’t tackled anyone to the ground in a year. When I get back out there, I’m going to feel like I’m a kid again, like it’s Christmas. I just want to hit somebody.”

CONGRATS, CASEY

Walk-on offensive lineman Casey Nickels has already racked up a few superlatives during the past few months. The junior from Tignall was named the most improved offensive lineman and outstanding walk-on at the end of spring practice and opened the fall second on the depth chart at right guard.

Saturday, Nickels received another honor, too, earning a scholarship after three years as a walk-on.

“It’s a lot of fun to award scholarships to those guys who work so hard,” Richt said. “This is Casey’s fourth year, he’s working with our No. 2 unit now, and he’s working his tail off.”

The scholarship came as a surprise and a welcome reward for Nickels, who said it put the past three years of effort into perspective.

“To be a walk-on you’ve got to love the sport,” Nickels said. “Because you get pounded on for three or four years, especially on the line, you know? Hitting 325-pound defensive tackles everyday, it takes a toll on you.”

LOTS OF LOVE FOR LOGAN

Richt insists the No. 2 spot on the depth chart at quarterback is still an open competition, but sophomore Logan Gray is doing his part to ensure Georgia’s two freshmen spend 2009 as redshirts.

After drawing praise during the spring, Richt said Gray’s growth has continued this fall in terms of his knowledge and confidence.

“I think he’s done a nice job of preparing himself,” Richt said. “You can just see there’s a lot more confidence in his ability to run the system than even in the spring probably. I think he had a great spring and took the momentum into the summer and has done a very nice job.”

While a starting job may not be up for grabs, Richt said the back-up quarterback will see significant playing time this year, and that’s all the motivation Gray needs.

“That’s what I’ve been thinking about this whole summer,” Gray said. “I’m going to do whatever I can to get on the field.”

OFF AND RUNNING

Asked how he would sum up the first week of fall practice, Richt had some words of encouragement.

“I would say it was a great start – a lot of energy, a lot of guys trying to do it the Georgia way," he said. "It’s been highly organized practices, and I’ve been pleased with the focus.”

The defense continued to be ahead of the offense, with Sanders Commings hauling in a pick-six as Saturday's star, but Richt said he saw progress all around, including from the freshmen, who he said are making both plenty of big plays and plenty of mistakes.

Georgia moves on to its first day of two-a-days Monday, with the morning practice set to be in full uniforms for the first time this fall. Richt said the staff had not yet determined which drills would be contact.

IT'S ALL ACADEMIC

Georgia had 79 players earn a 3.0 GPA or better during the summer semester, including 22 Bulldogs who landed on the Dean's list. The combined team GPA for the summer was a 3.148 -- a mark Richt hailed as a major stepping stone.

"That was a goal we talked about in the spring to get it over 3.0," Richt said. "We'd been banging away at 3.0, but we hadn't quite gotten there, so that is outstanding."

TWON'T TWEET

If you're a regular follower of Jeff Owens on Twitter, you may have noticed things have been a bit quiet the past two days. Following a day of downtime due to a hacking of the social networking site, Owens said he hasn't been able to access his account.

But fear not, Owens said. He's passing along today's tweet through the media.

"If I could tweet, I'd say practice was challenging," Owens said. "We competed and a lot of guys got after it. I think we got better today.”

As a side note, I told Owens that was way beyond the character limit. Shows what I know... it was 98 characters.

Dawgs Earn High Marks

From UGA Athletics...

A total of 258 University of Georgia student-athletes earned a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher for spring semester, and Georgia's 508 student-athletes posted the school's highest ever cumulative GPA with a 3.01, according to figures released by the University of Georgia Athletic Association. The 258 athletes were honored for their accomplishments by being named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

Included in the 258 student-athletes were Drew Butler (football), Courtney Cripps (soccer) and Bridget Lyons (track & field) who were named Presidential Scholars for earning a 4.0 average. A total of 32 were named to the Dean's List for having an average between 3.50 and 3.99.

The women's golf team earned the highest team GPA with a 3.41, and the men's golf team had the highest GPA among men's sports with a 3.28.

The student athletes named to the Director's Honor Roll are:

*Presidential scholar (4.00)
+Dean's List (3-50-3.99)

BASEBALL: Steve Esmonde, Lilburn; Chase Hawkins, Snellville; Trevor Holder, Birmingham, Ala.; Jason Leaver, Springfield, Ohio; Kevin Ruiz, Alpharetta; Matt Cerione, Alpharetta; Justin Grimm, Bristol, Va.; Zach Laughlin, Columbus; Colby May, Guyton; Alex McRee, Gainesville; Robbie O'Bryan, Marietta; Michael Palazonne, Marietta; Miles Starr, St. Simons Island; Jonathan Taylor, Acworth; Peter Verdin, Alexandria, Va.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Matt Bucklin, Marietta; Corey Butler, Decatur, Ricky McPhee, Lawrenceville; Tyler Whatley, Auburn

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Meredith Mitchell, Midfield, Ala.; Angel Robinson, Marietta; Sarah Stoddard, Austell; Ali Watt, Duluth

EQUESTRIAN: Kelley Cowperthwait, South Hampton, NJ; Erin Dwyer, Bluemont, Va.; Alexandra Andes+, Atlanta; Anastasia Bobilev+, Annapolis, Md.; Katie Brown+, Batavia, Ill.; Alex Finder, Potomac, Md.; Marianne Grebel+, Leesburg; Amanda Hanafi, Atlanta; Sara Hemingway, Atlanta; Haylie Jayne, Elgin, Ill.; Kate Johnson, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; Jordan Kirkpatrick, Lexington, S.C.; Amy Klebesadel, Agoura Hills, Calif.; Alexa Lieppe+, Atlanta; Emma Lipman, Bedford, N.Y.; Lauren Love, College Station, Texas; Amelia Rogers, Burlington, Vt.; Allie Sharp, Pittsgrove, N.J.; Caitlain Tenewitz, Cairo; Daisy Whelan, Tybee Island; Meghan Adams, Canton; Kelsey Berry, Alpharetta; Krissan Blanchard, Stockbridge; Hannah Dyer, Lawrenceville; Ali Eidson, Tuscola, Texas; Sarah Gravely, Palmetto, Fla.; Katie Hagerty, Wakefield, R.I.; Madeleine Howe, Washington D.C.; Allie Hush, Marietta; Kacy Jenkins, Potomac Falls, Va.; Kaitlin Keane, Alpharetta; Lauren Kulwicki, Hudson, Ohio; Shannon Larsen, Alpharetta; Lauren Moore, Powell, Ohio; Michelle Morris, La Canada, Calif.; Olivia Poff, Cincinnati, Ohio; Nina Pola, Ridgefield, Conn.; Alicia Shrum, Alpharetta; Kate Stewart, Dawson; Kelly Truesdell, Brights Grove, Ontario

FOOTBALL: Drew Butler*, Duluth; Kris Durham, Calhoun; Chad Klar, Hamilton; Josh Bagby+, Canton; Brian Brewer, Lilburn; Shaun Chapas, St. Augustine, Fla.; Joe Cox, Charlotte, N.C.; Jonathon deLaureal, New Orleans, La.; Trent Dittmer, Cartersville; Ty Frix, Calhoun; A.J. Harmon, Louisville; Dontavius Jackson, Franklin; Kevin Lanier, Woodstock; Aaron Murray, Tampa, Fla.; Craig Sager+, Marietta; Jeremy Sulek, Dacula; Wesley Van Dky, Dallas, Texas; Quintin Banks, Warner Robins; Taylor Bradberry, Winder; Ricardo Crawford, Fair Bluff, N.C.; Matt DeGenova, Kenner, La.; Cordy Glenn, Riverdale; Logan Gray, Columbia, Mo.; Andrew Gully, Vienna, Va.; Ben Harden, Perry; Ben Harbin, Dalton; Will James, Montgomery, Ala.; Andrew Johnson, Athens; Ben Jones, Centreville, Ala.; Michael Lanier, Woodstock; Dallas Lee, Buford; Ricky Lowe, Duluth; Zach Mettenberger, Watkinsville; Michael Moore, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Fred Munzenmaier, Norcross; Casey Nickels, Tignall; Bacarri Rambo, Donalsonville; Derek Rich, Gainesville; Christian Robinson, Norcross; Joshua Sailors, Athens; Richard Samuel, Cartersville; Nick Sorel, Norcross; Jordan Stowe, Lilburn; Carlton Thomas, Frostproof, Fla.; Trenton Turner, Peachtree City; Jason Veal, Lilburn; Aron White, Columbia, Mo.

MEN'S GOLF: Michael Green, Augusta; Rob Bennett, Augusta; Harris English+, Thomasville; Brian Harman, Savannah; Russell Henley, Macon; Adam Mitchell, Chattanooga, Tenn.; T.J. Mitchell, Albany; Hudson Swafford, Tallahassee, Fla.

WOMEN'S GOLF: Melissa Brody, Atlanta; Carolina Andrade-Barry+, Cadiz, Spain; Tess Fordham, Metter; Leigh Crosby, Athens; Mallory Hetzel, Summerville, S.C.

GYMNASTICS: Courtney Kupets, Athens; Marcia Newby, Virginia Beach, Va.; Grace Taylor, Aiken, S.C.; Paige Burns, St. Cloud, Fla.; Kat Ding, Sparks, Nev.; Lauren Johnson, Cartersville; Gina Nuccio, Naperville, Ill.; Lauren Sessler, Snellville; Abby Stack, Matthews, N.C.; Hilary Mauro, Boston, Mass.

SOCCER: Courtney Cripps*, Acworth; Leslie McConnell, Richmond Hill; Lindsay Stein, Littleton, Colo.; Jamie Bouck, Alpharetta; Jenna Buckley+, Atlanta; Caroline Burlingame+, New Orleans, La.; Marah Falle, Lilburn; Kristin Garman, Nashville, Tenn.; Meghan Gilmore+, Asheville, N.C.; Mary Ricker+, Roswell; Caroline Simpson, Atlanta; Megan Tomlinson, Atlanta; Ashley Baker, Lilburn; Kelli Corless, Acworth; Traci Dreesen, Lakewood, Colo; Natalie Farley, Carollton; Lauren Glancy, Alpharetta; Mariah Krase, Spring, Texas; Ashley Miller, Lake Mary, Fla.; Carrie Patterson, Atlanta; Olivia West, Westerville, Ohio

SOFTBALL: Christina Reed, Winder; Alisa Goler, Frankfort, Ill.; Whitney Owens, Pendleton, Ind.; Kristin Schnake, Richview, Ill.; Brianna Hesson, Sugarville; Brittany Hubbard, Victorville, Calif.; Sarah McCloud, Celina, Texas; Victoria Moody, Woodstock; Ashley Pauly, Kennesaw; Kristyn Sandberg, Island Park, N.Y.; Taylor Schlopy, West Hills, Calif.

MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING: Kit French, Mainville, Ohio; Hunter Lainhart+, Jupiter, Fla.; Michael Larmoyeux+, Jacksonville, Fla.; Adam Parker, Maryville, Tenn.; Chris Thompson, Kennesaw; Neil Versfield, Umhlanga, South Africa; Michael Arnold, Marietta; Tim Barrett, Evans; Tom Beeri, Israel; Mark Dylla, Littleton, Colo.; Kevin Frankenfeld, Austin, Texas; Shane Hall, Cumming; Sean McDevitt, Austin, Texas; Todd McGraw, Vinton, Va.; Chris Spooner, Jamestown, N.C.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING: Lisa Caprioglio, Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Kelsey Ditto, Austin, Texas; Erica Malagon, Athens; Anne-Marie Botek, Elicott City, Md.; Jessica Cole, St. Louis, Mo.; Abbie Fish+, Louisville, Ky.; Michelle McKeehan, Greenwood, Ind.; Hannah Moore, Moultrie; Aleksandra Putra, Givers, France; Kelsey Scott+, Duluth; Wendy Trott+, Capetown, South Africa; Landon Watters, Rome; Annie Broome, Knoxville, Tenn.; Lauren Cartwright, Fayetteville; Lauren English, Lincoln Park, N.J.; Kelly McNichols, Naperville, Ill.; Mhyria Miller, Big Pine Key, Fla.; Emily Montesinos, Riverdale; Chelsea Nauta, Tampa, Fla.; Allison Schmitt, Canton, Mich.

MEN'S TENNIS: Jamie Hunt, San Antonio, Texas

WOMEN'S TENNIS: Lara Fakhoury, Tampa Bay, Fla.; Naoko Ueshima, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan

MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD: John Egan, Atlanta; Ross Ridgewell, Mullumbimby, Australia; Bejan Abtahi, Nashville, Tenn.; Baron Brown, Stone Mountain; Justin Gaymon, Stewartsville, N.J.; Jamaal Parker, Macon; David Schiedt, Marietta; Caleb Vogt, Winter Park, Fla.; Travis Voyles +, Douglasville; Anthony Agbaere, Atlanta; Daniel Averso, Lilburn; Kevin Dickson, Tulatin, Ore.; J.P. Hackney, Marietta; Zach Hunter, Marietta; Ace Levy, Toronto, Canada; Jesse Marino, Lawrenceville; Brian Moore, Willow Grove, Pa.; Brian Potts, Powder Springs; Michael Proctor, Jonesboro; Nate Rolfe, Kenmore, Wash.; Dustin Tetley, Alpharetta; Kris Ward, Lawrenceville

WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD: Bridget Lyons*, Evans; Sarah Madebach, Augusta; Tierra Bagby+, Portsmouth, Va.; Hadley Ferguson, Fernandina Beach, Fla.; Kylie Foley+, Acworth; Rebecca Gordon+, Roswell; Shalondan Hollingshed, Riverdale; Stefanie Hush, Marietta; Kristie Krueger, Argyle, Texas; Ilana McQuinn, Charlestown, S.C.; Annalise Peters, Decatur; Natalie Picchetti, Alpharetta; Emily Sanders, Woodstock; Jill Skinner, Brentwood, Tenn.; Whitney Williams, College Park; Jennifer Barbi, Suwanee; Odeika Bent, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Johnnie Borries, Vancleave, Miss.; Lindsay Farr, Acworth; Kim House, Alpharetta; Emily Houston, Jensen Beach, Fla.; Josipa Jelicic, Zagreb, Croatia, Abbie Robinson, Douglasville; Keisha Spates, Valdosta; Julianne Toto, Red Bank, N.J.; Morgan VanGorder, Gainesville; Kiah Vernon, Atlanta

VOLLEYBALL: Kathleen Gates+, Wilmington, N.C.; Lindsay Gehan+, Dallas, Texas; Simone May, Guntersville, Ala.; Anjelica Partridge, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Maria Taylor, Alpharetta; Ann Dylla, Littleton, Colo.