Florida's Rebekah Zaiser Named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team
Thursday, May 20, 2010 | Gymnastics
University of Florida senior gymnast Rebekah Zaiser (Mars, Pa.) is one of three Gator student-athletes on 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III At-Large teams. Sophomore swimmer Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) joins Zaiser on the women's first team. Senior tennis player Antoine Benneteau (Boulogne-Billancourt, France) merited first-team consideration on the men's side. All three advance to the national Academic All-America ballot.
Two Gator swimmers – senior Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex, England) and junior Brett Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands) – were named to the Academic All-District second teams.
| Florida's five representatives ties Duke for the most on 2010 Academic All-District III teams. |
Zaiser earned All-America second team honors for the balance beam in 2010. As a senior, she set her collegiate-best beam mark of 9.95. That mark ties for fifth all-time on the Gators' top beam scores list. Zaiser finished at UF with a 3.97 grade point average as she received her bachelor's degree in biology earlier this month. Zaiser was a member of UF's Honors College since 2006 and earned Dean's List honors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2008 and 2009. She's been a member of both the SEC Academic Honor Roll and the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches Scholastic All-America team since her freshman year. Zaiser plans to start medical school in the fall of 2010.
Benneteau is a 2010 All-American in doubles and a two-time All-Southeastern Conference selection. He opened the team season with seven consecutive wins and holds a 19-4 record in dual match play (8-2 SEC), largely at the No. 3 position. He has won nine of his last 11, including wins in each of the NCAA opening rounds. He and partner Alexandre Locroix have rolled up a 31-6 overall doubles record, including 19-5 in dual play. They are currently ranked eighth nationally and are the second duo in UF history to reach 30 wins together in a season. They will represent UF as a No. 5-8 seed in the 2010 NCAA Doubles Championships. Benneteau, a member of the 2009 SEC Academic Honor Roll, is pursuing a degree in management and owns a 3.67 grade point average.
Crippen helped lead the Florida women's swimming & diving team to its first NCAA team title in 28 years as she swam back-to-back top-five races on the final day of the 2010 championships. She earned a total of four All-America honors, which included a runner-up finish in the 400 individual medley. Crippen claimed the 2010 SEC title in the 400 IM. A member of the 2009 and 2010 SEC Academic Honor Roll, Crippen also earned a spot on the 2009 College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America team. She is pursuing a degree in economics and owns a 3.71 GPA
Fraser earned seven All-America honors in 2010 – the maximum available for an individual. He was part of Florida's 800 free relay which set the school record at the 2010 NCAA Championships. Fraser holds top 10 times in six other events in UF's all-time history. He was part of Florida's 2010 SEC champion 800 FR and collected a total of three All-SEC honors as a junior. He is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and part of the 2009 CSCAA Scholar All-America team. He owns a 3.57 GPA in finance.
Spofforth finished her Florida career as a seven-time NCAA champion, which includes two titles in 2010 (100 back and 200 free relay). Last summer, she set the world record in the 100-meter backstroke as she won the title at the World Championships for Great Britain. She picked up her second consecutive SEC Swimmer of the Year honor after winning three individual titles and one relay title at the 2010 SEC Championships in Athens, Ga. She is a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and part of the 2009 CSCAA Scholar All-America team. Spofforth is pursuing a degree in family, youth and community sciences and owns a 3.44 GPA.
The men's Academic All-America national team will be announced June 8, followed by the women's team on June 10.
| 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III Teams - University Division | ||
| First Team - Women | ||
| Sofia Aidemark | North Carolina-Greensboro | Golf |
| Martha Blakely | Virginia Tech | Tennis |
| Lisa Caprioglio | Georgia | Swimming |
| Teresa Crippen | Florida | Swimming |
| Kelsey Cutchins | James Madison | Field Hockey |
| Katie Detlefsen | Central Florida (UCF) | Golf |
| Bianca Eichkorn | Miami | Tennis |
| Caroline Newman | College of Charleston | Tennis |
| Grace Taylor | Georgia | Gymnastics |
| Rebekah Zaiser | Florida | Gymnastics |
| Second Team - Women | ||
| Caroline Bevillard | Georgia Southern | Swimming |
| Sarah Bullard | Duke | Lacrosse |
| Mei Christensen | Virginia | Swimming |
| Lauren Elstein | Virginia | Field Hockey |
| Caitlin Kirsteier | North Carolina-Wilmington | Swimming |
| Brielle Paolini | College of William & Mary | Golf |
| Julie Saleeby | NC State | Golf |
| Gemma Spofforth | Florida | Swimming |
| Wendy Trott | Georgia | Swimming |
| Laura Vallverdu | Miami | Tennis |
| Kara Wright | North Carolina | Gymnastics |
| Reka Zsilinszka | Duke | Tennis |
| First Team - Men | ||
| Ben Altman | Davidson College | Wrestling |
| Austin Baraki | College of William & Mary | Swimming |
| Antoine Benneteau | Florida | Tennis |
| Christian Blocker | Miami | Tennis |
| Josh Gallman | South Carolina-Upstate | Golf |
| Brendan Gielow | Wake Forest | Golf |
| Corey Nagy | Charlotte | Golf |
| Chip Peterson | North Carolina | Swimming |
| Max Quinzani | Duke | Lacrosse |
| Reuben Ross | Miami | Diving |
| Joshua Scholl | Florida Atlantic | Tennis |
| Second Team - Men | ||
| Stephen Allsop | North Carolina Central | Tennis |
| Seth Broster | Clemson | Swimming |
| Dorian Cohen | Duke | Fencing |
| Brett Fraser | Florida | Swimming |
| Kurt Gattiker | North Florida | Tennis |
| Akash Gujuarati | NC State | Tennis |
| Adam Long | Duke | Golf |
| Donald "Trey" Stewart | Virginia Tech | Swimming |
| Richard Wardell | College of William & Mary | Tennis |
| Illia Ziamtsou | North Carolina-Wilmington | Tennis |
