Swimming Duo Earns Academic All-District Honors
5/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? For the third year in a row, the Alabama Swimming and Diving Team put two athletes on the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 men's at-large team.
Seniors Vlad Polyakov, making his third appearance on the list, and Apostolis Tsagkarakis both earned first-team all district honors and will be on the ballot for Academic All-American recognition.
“We are very proud of Vlad and Apostolis,” Alabama head coach Eric McIlquham said. “They both worked very hard to succeed in both the pool and the classroom and their accomplishments in both areas are among the best in Crimson Tide history. They truly represent what Alabama Swimming and Diving is all about.”
The at-large program includes all NCAA Division I schools and encompasses athletes from fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. Each school can put up three athletes in the at-large division and once again, all three of Alabama’s athletes earned first team all-district honors with golf’s Joseph Sykora joining the swimming duo.
Both men are Olympic competitors and both earned numerous All-American honors in the pool during their Crimson Tide tenures.
Polyakov was a two-time finalist at the 2004 Olympics and a two-time NCAA Champion in the 200 breaststroke. Undefeated in breaststroke events in dual meet competition during his career, he won five SEC breaststroke titles and is the SEC 200 breaststroke record holder.
Finishing in the top two at the NCAA Championships in the 200 breaststroke all four years of his career, he won the national title in 2005 and 2007. The 2006 FINA World 200 Breaststroke Champion, Polyakov holds the Alabama school records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke as well as the 200 and 400 medley relay. A four-year Academic All-SEC honoree, he was named the 2006 SEC Swimming Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2005 and 2006.
A 12 time All-American, Tsagkarakis went undefeated during the 2006-07 dual meet season in the 100 freestyle and was a championship finalist in the 50 freestyle at the NCAA Championships. He is the Alabama school record holder in 5 events including the 50 freestyle, breaking four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Jon Olsen’s 1991 mark, posting a 19.32 at 2007 NCAA Championships. He also holds the school 200 and 400 freestyle and 200 and 400 medley relay records.
A 2004 Olympian for his native Greece, he was a member of Alabama’s 2006 U.S. Open 400 Medley Relay championship squad. A four year Academic All-SEC honoree, he also earned Health Care Management Excellence in Scholarship award.
Polyakov and diver Stewart Smith earned first team Academic All-District honors in 2005 and Polyakov and swimmer Guido Arroyo earned the honor in 2006. All three men went on to earn a spot on the Academic All-American team.
