From University of Rochester Athletics
Two seniors at the University of Rochester have earned Academic All-America honors in 2016-17, capping stellar careers at the University that have seen tremendous accomplishments both in the classroom and on the field or in the pool. The student-athletes were selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Sayaka Abe of the field hockey team was a 2nd Team At-Large Academic All-America selection and Emily Simon of the swimming and diving team was named a 3rd Team At-Large choice. CoSIDA chooses sports specific teams in 10 sports (football, women's volleyball, m/w soccer, m/w basketball, baseball, softball, and m/w cross country/track & field). All of the other sports which compete for an NCAA Championship are placed in the At-Large category. Voting for the At-Large Team is conducted during the spring.
In the classroom, Abe (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley HS) carries a 3.88 cumulative GPA on a 4.00 scale and earned her degree in chemical engineering last month. Abe was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the internationally renowned honor society and is also a member of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. She was honored three times by the University for her combination of academic and athletic excellence: the Phi Beta Kappa Iota Book Award as a sophomore, Provost's Circle Scholar as a junior, and a Garnish Scholar as a senior. She was named as an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction for three years and earned the NFHCA's Academic Award in all four of her seasons.
Abe had her best season in a Rochester field hockey uniform in 2016, helping lead the Yellowjackets to an 18-5 record and a berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second straight year. Statistically, Abe recorded two goals and a Rochester single-season record 18 assists for 22 points during 2016. She ranked second in NCAA Division III in assists and was fourth in assists per game (0.78). In her career, she ranks third all-time at Rochester in games played (84) and assists (27).
The senior was honored as a First Team All-American by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, becoming only the third UR player ever to earn First Team accolades. She was also the North Atlantic Regional Player of the Year, First Team All-Region, First Team All-Liberty League and Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year. She also earned the Merle Spurrier Award from Rochester's Department of Athletics & Recreation, given to the senior female athlete who has made the most outstanding contribution to the women's athletic program.
Simon (Olean, NY/Portville Central) has a 3.97 cumulative grade point average and recently graduated with a degree in Brain & Cognitive Sciences. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa senior, while also receiving the Phi Beta Kappa Iota Book Award as a sophomore and was named to the Provost's Circle Scholars in her junior year. Additionally, she received the Rigby Wile Prize from the University for proficiency in biology.
She is also very active in the medical field, working as a lead researcher in the Human Language Processing Lab while also volunteering at the Rochester Pediatric Center in forensics. Simon has spent time working at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the Department of Psychology and worked in the Neuropsychology Lab.
In the pool, Simon has had a stellar career for the women's swimming and diving program. She has earned a total of three All-American honors by competing and scoring points for Rochester at the NCAA Division III Championships. Over her four years, she won a combined 10 events at the Liberty League Championships, two of which came in the 2016 Championships. At the University Athletic Association Championships, Simon has earned two All-UAA honors and finished inside the top-eight in an event four times in her career.
Abe becomes just the fourth Rochester field hockey to earn Academic All-America honors, joining Amy-Beth Deep (1990), Rachel Cahan (2007, 2008) and Shelby Hall (2013). Simon also becomes the fourth female swimmer in school history to earn the award, joining Patty Rupp who earned three straight AAA honors from 1985 to 1987, Colette Cove who was named in 2000 and her former teammate Lauren Bailey who was honored twice in 2014 and 2015.
The pair also continues an impressive streak for the University of Rochester athletic department, as Yellowjacket student athletes have earned at least one Academic All-America honor in 26 straight academic years, dating back to 1990-91. Overall, UR has earned a total of 97 Academic All-America honors since the inception of the program in 1952.