Sixty-Four Tide Athletes Earn SEC Academic Honors
7/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - As another symbol of the University of Alabama athletic department's emphasis on student-athlete success in the classroom, 64 Tide athletes were included on the Southeastern Conference's Academic Honor Roll for the spring 2007 season the league announced Wednesday.
"We are obviously very proud of each of these student-athletes and work they do on and off the field," said UA assistant Athletic Director for Student Services Jon Dever. "It's a tremendous feat to be not only a great athlete but a great student as well and we commend each of these individuals for their accomplishments in the classroom."
Each member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll must possess a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above and have been on the team for the entirety of its NCAA Championship segment.
The men's track and field headed the Tide contingent with 14 team members on the SEC Honor Roll. In May, three squad members advanced to the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships after the team qualified 10 to Regional competition.
The women's track and field team was not far behind the men, putting 12 student-athletes on the SEC Academic Honor Roll. The Tide women had a pair of athletes that qualified for the NCAA Championships in May.
Alabama's softball team also had 12 honorees on its roster. The Tide went 55-10 in 2007 and were ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history at one point in the season. After finishing third in the SEC in the regular season, UA hosted NCAA Regional competition for the fifth-consecutive year.
The newest program in the athletic department, the rowing team, landed nine athletes on the Honor Roll in its inaugural season. The Tide saw some success in its first season of competition and earned a sweep in its first home match in program history.
After one of the most successful seasons in school history, the UA men's golf team capped off its year with six members listed on the SEC Honor Roll. The Tide, who finished sixth at the NCAA Championship, was ranked No. 1 for a portion of the regular season and won three consecutive events in the fall, a new school record.
The women's golf team, who had four student-athletes on the Honor Roll, also had another successful season in 2007. The Tide finished in the top five in each of its spring tournaments, including a fifth-place finish at the SEC Championship, its best since 1998. Alabama finished seventh at the NCAA East Regional, qualifying for its second-straight NCAA Championship and the third in school history.
Three members of the men's tennis team earned Honor Roll accolades after a successful spring season. The Tide upset Duke in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the round of 16 before falling to highly-ranked Baylor. Alabama finished 22-9 on the season.
After going 7-5 in its last 12 games, earning series wins over several ranked opponents and qualifying for the SEC Tournament, the Tide baseball team had three players on the SEC Honor Roll. Alabama tied for sixth in the SEC during the regular season and had series victories over No. 4 South Carolina, No. 6 Arkansas and No. 20 Mississippi State, who eventually qualified for the College World Series.
Rounding out the Alabama contingent was the women's tennis team, who had two athletes on the Academic Honor Roll. The Tide beat Colorado and Furman during the regular season, teams that were each ranked in the top 75 nationally.
South Carolina led the league with 104 honorees on the Academic Honor Roll, followed by Florida with 86 and Georgia with 80.
