Quartet Receives Academic All-America Recognition
6/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
June 11, 2015
AUSTIN, Texas -- On Thursday (June 11), seniors Richard Funk and Justin Glanda (men's swimming and diving), senior Zach Hyman (ice hockey) and graduate student Sammy Gray (field hockey) were all named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Men's and Women's At-Large teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Glanda and Hyman were named to the first team, while Funk and Gray were selected to the third team.
The at-large team 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, bowling, rowing, field hockey, men's volleyball and wrestling. To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, student-athletes must have been named an Academic All-District first team selection, have a grade-point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.00 scale) and at least be in their second year at the institution.
This past season, Funk (Edmonton, Alberta) and Glanda (Rochester Hills, Mich.) were senior captains of the men's swimming and diving team, helping guide the Wolverines to their fifth consecutive Big Ten championship and a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Over their four-year careers, Funk was a nine-time NCAA All-American and seven-time Big Ten champion, while Glanda was a four-time NCAA All-American and four-time Big Ten champion. Both swimmers were three-time Academic All-Big Ten picks (2013-15). Glanda was the school's male recipient of the 2015 Big Ten Medal of Honor and was also awarded the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship. Funk and Glanda are the fourth and fifth men's swimmers to receive Academic All-America honors, joining Brent Lang (1989), Brian Gunn (1993) and Connor Jaeger (2013-14).
Hyman (Toronto, Ontario) is the second ice hockey Academic All-America honoree at Michigan and first since Jeff Jillson (second team, 2001). He had an outstanding senior season, finishing the year with a team-leading 17 multiple-point games and had a Big Ten-leading 54 points (22G, 32A). A first team All-America selection and first team All-Big Ten selection, Hyman was also one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, the most prestigious award in college hockey. One of the top student-athletes at the University of Michigan, Hyman was awarded the Carl Isaacson Trophy with the highest GPA on the team this year. He earned the Bates/Deskins Award last spring, which is given annually to the top junior student-athlete for both academic and athletic achievement. Hyman also was one of two members of the ice hockey team to earn Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors in 2014, given to those who maintain a minimum 3.7 GPA for the previous academic year. A three-time Big Ten All-Academic selection, Hyman graduated as a history major in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.
Gray (Wilmette, Ill.) started all 20 games this season in the Wolverine backfield, contributing to four shutout wins and posting two goals and two assists. She netted a pair of second-half tallies in U-M's win at Iowa and assisted on the game-winning goal at Kent State. She is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten and five-time NFHCA All-Academic honoree, earning NFHCA Scholar of Distinction honors this year. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology in December 2013, Gray earned her master's degree in sport management this spring. She is the second Wolverine field hockey player to garner Academic All-America honors in program history, joining Eileen Brandes (2008-11), who was similarly named to the third team in 2011.
The University of Michigan now has six Academic All-Americans for the 2014-15 year: Funk, Glanda, Hyman, Gray, Kelly Christner (softball) and Nicole Elmblad (women's basketball). Still to be announced are the Academic All-America Teams for men's and women's track and field/cross country, which take place on Thursday, June 25. Ali Arastu and Mason Ferlic (men) and Brook Handler, Erin Finn and Danielle Pfeifer (women) were all named Academic All-District selections and are eligible for Academic All-America honors.
• Michigan's Academic All-Americans
• Official Release
Communications Contacts: Brad Rudner, Jeff Weinstein, Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
