University of Tennessee Athletics
Simpson, Burton Named to Verizon Academic All-America Teams
June 10, 2003 | Men's Swimming & Diving
June 10, 2003
Seniors Mike Burton and Greg Simpson were named the 2003 Verizon Academic All-America Men's At-Large University Division Team announced today by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Burton made the ballot as a first-team member, while Simpson was named to the second-team. The Men's At-Large category for Academic All-America honors contains the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
The Verizon Academic All-America Teams program recognizes student-athletes who have succeeded on the field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected by votes from CoSIDA, the 1,800-member College Sports Information Directors of America. To be eligible, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00.
This marks Burton's first appearance on the Verizon Academic All-America Team. The McMinnville, Ore., native has had tremendous success in both athletics and academics while at UT. This season Burton qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third-straight year and earned an All-America honor for his work on the 200 medley relay squad. Out of the pool, Burton not only holds the highest GPA on the swim team, he has the highest GPA among all senior student-athletes (4.00). Burton's other academic achievements also include being the 2002 Ed South Scholar Athlete of the year, a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member, a two-time Thornton Center Honor Roll member and a CSCAA Academic All-American in 2001 and 2002.
"This is a really great honor," Burton said. "Academics have always been important to me and receiving this honor justifies all my hard work."
For Simpson, this is his second Verizon Academic All-America honor. This past season Simpson qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fourth-straight season and earned All-America honors for his work on the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay squads. The Collierville, Tenn., native ranked seventh in scoring and won six individual dual-meet events for the Vols. Out of the pool, Simpson was named to his third consecutive SEC Academic Honor Roll and has received the UT Athletics Board Award for the highest GPA in his class for the past three years. In 2001 and 2002 he was a CSCAA Academic All-American and in 2002 received the Reagan Scholarship from the College of Business. Simpson was also a member on last year's Verizon Academic All-America/District IV At Large Team.
"I think it is great that we can represent Tennessee so well," Simpson said. "It shows the kind of program we have here at Tennessee. We have a great academic department and they are always there to support us."
Burton is Tennessee's third swimmer to earn first-team honors. Zane DeWitz was the first in 2001 and Simpson was on last year's ballot.
