Gustavus Adolphus College senior men’s tennis player Andy Bryan and senior men’s swimmer Connor Ziegler have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men’s At-Large Team as released by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Bryan is a College Division First Team selection, while Ziegler is a Third Team selection.
Andy Bryan (Edina, Minn.), a second team CoSIDA Academic All-America selection last year, posted a 29-5 singles record and a 28-6 doubles record, playing at No. 1 singles and doubles (with Charlie Paukert) this season for the Gusties. Bryan won both singles and doubles titles at last fall’s ITA Midwest Region Championship and then was was selected for both the singles draw and the doubles draw (with Paukert) at the 2008 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships in Lewiston, Maine. Bryan bowed out of the first round of the singles draw before finishing as a runner-up in the doubles draw. His season accomplishments earned him ITA Division III All-America honors in both singles and doubles. He was also named the ITA Division III Senior Player of the Year. Bryan, a biology and management major, is the son of Roy Bryan and Ann Ludwig Bryan of Edina and a 2004 graduate of Edina High School.
Connor Ziegler (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 200 butterfly with a 13th place finish (1:51.63) at the 2008 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Oxford, Ohio in March. At the 2008 MIAC Championships, Ziegler finished third in the 200 butterfly (1:54.48) and as part of the second place 200 medley relay (1:34.63) and the second place 400 medley relay (3:28.24). Ziegler was also recently awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Ziegler, a biology major, is the son of Connie Ziegler of Tempe, Arizona and a 2004 graduate of Sauk Rapids-Rice High School.
The Academic All-America® Teams program honors male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Eligible sports for men’s at-large consideration include fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.