Knezevic named Academic All-America of the Year

6/2/2014 10:04:00 AM

Young Harris, GA – Swimmer Bogdan Knezevic became the second Dino in three years to earn the Academic All-America of the Year honour, following in the footsteps of women's hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser who earned the title in 2012.

Senior tennis player Kristina Marova of Embry-Riddle University was named the women's at-large recipient.

The Capital One College Division Academic All-America® men's and women's at-large teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions. The at-large program for the Capital One Academic All-America® program includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo for both men and women; bowling, crew and field hockey for women; and volleyball and wrestling for men.

A native of Toronto, Ontario, Knezevic has consistently excelled in athletics and academics throughout his career as a Dino. The neuroscience student boasts a 4.00 G.P.A., earning him a place on the Dean's list. In addition, Knezevic has been named an Academic All-Canadian each year.

In the pool this year, Knezevic won a CIS gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley and a CIS silver in the 400 medley relay. He also won a gold in the 800 free relay, a silver in the 400 medley relay and a bronze in the 200 breaststroke at the Canada West Conference Championship.

Joining Knezevic on the men's first team are: John Bertram of Westmont College, Patrick Besch of Embry-Riddle, Aaron Buchanan of Olivet Nazarene University, Simon Felix of Embry-Riddle, Zeke Hunt of Cumberland University, Josh Karel of Morningside College, Nicholas Pinones-Haltenhoff of Auburn University Montgomery, Julian Taylor of William Woods University, and Deni Zmak of Embry-Riddle.

A business administration major with a 3.87 grade point average, Marova was the top-ranked doubles player in the nation for Embry-Riddle and led the Eagles to an 18-6 record and a berth in the NAIA national championship match. She posted a 17-11 singles record while compiling an impressive mark of 26-7 in doubles matches. In addition, she is a two-time NAIA All-American selection who received second-team recognition this season.

A three-time academic all-conference pick for the Eagles, the Stare Sediste, Czech Republic, native earned Capital One Academic All-America® honors for the third straight year, including her second consecutive first- team selection. She was also a third-team honoree as a sophomore in 2012.

About the Academic All-America® Program
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 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.

For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.

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