Alabama set a record with seven student-athletes named to the Academic All-American At-Large team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, the organization announced Thursday.
Swimmers Laurent Bams, Robert Howard and Luke Kaliszak were honored on the men’s list, with gymnast Macknezie Brannan, tennis player Andie Daniell, golfer Kristen Gillman and swimmer Temarie Tomley earning recognition on the women’s list.
Alabama held the previous record of six honorees in one school year along with Navy. Alabama had six in 2014 and 2017, while Navy had six in 2016. Alabama’s seven in 2018 was three better than Stanford, the second-ranked school.
The at-large team encompasses the 2017-18 academic year in sports which do not have their own Academic All-America teams: beach volleyball, volleyball, bowling, rowing, field hockey fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis and water polo in women’s sports; fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo, volleyball and wrestling in men’s athletics.
“When you can only nominate four men and four women per year, and all eight earn a place on the district team and seven go on to earn Academic All-America honors, that’s quite an achievement,” UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne said in a statement. “We take great pride in being the first school to ever accomplish this feat.”
Bams, Howard, Kaliszak and Brannan all were named to the first team. Tomley made the second team. Daniell and Gillman were third-team honorees. Brannan and Kliszak both earned Academic All-America for the third time.
Since nominations went from a maximum of three men and three women to four each in 2014, Alabama has led the nation in at-large honors with 28.
