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2019-20 Academic All-America® Teams and Honorees
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Bebe Wang of Denison Repeats to Headline Academic All-America® NCAA Division III Men's At-Large Teams
CoSIDA would like to thank Academic All-America® Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductee and 2001-02 Academic All-America of the Year recipient Stacey Dales (Oklahoma women's basketball) for her interviews with the 2019-20 honorees. Dales went on to a successful professional basketball career in the WNBA and is currently a reporter for the NFL Network. Follow her @StaceyDales. Thanks to CoSIDA corporate partner Blinder for providing the technology to produce the interviews.
Men's Swimmer Bebe Wang of Denison Named As 2019-20 NCAA Division III Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year
NCAA Division III Academic All-America® of the Year: PDF |
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AUSTIN, Texas – Senior men’s swimmer Bebe Wang of Denison University has been named as the 2019-20 Academic All-America® of the Year for Division III, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The Academic All-America® Division III program is financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2019-20 Division III Academic All-America® teams.
A senior physics major with a minor in mathematics from Naperville, Illinois, owns a 3.91 cumulative grade-point average. He was named to the Academic All-America® team twice and was recognized as the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year twice in the men’s at-large program.
“I am extremely honored and proud to have been selected as CoSIDA's Academic All-America® of the Year for Division III,” said Wang. “It doesn’t feel like I’ve done anything super out of the ordinary, but you don’t really know how much of an impact you’ve made until it’s laid out in front of you. This award certainly validates a lot of the contributions I have made to Denison, for not only the swim and dive program, but for the school and the campus community as well.
“I’ve learned and grown a lot since I first stepped foot on campus, and I have many people to thank for getting me to where I am today,” added Wang. “During my time as a Denison swimmer, I’ve learned from coaches, faculty, teammates, and friends that a gesture or an act that you might consider “small” can have a huge impact on someone else. I’ve really tried to live into that notion and help as many people as I can, through both actions and words.”
Wang is a five-time national champion and 15-time All-American, and earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in May. He entered this year's NCAA Championships with the nation's fastest time in the 200-yard individual medley and the third-fastest time in the 200 freestyle. A three-time College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American, Wang, who also served as a fellow in the physics department, received the North Coast Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete Award from Denison in April.
“It never gets old when our student-athletes distinguish themselves in the classroom,” said Denison head swimming coach Gregg Parini. "Bebe, congratulations on being named the CoSIDA Academic All-America® of the Year for Division III. You have set a standard in the classroom and the pool that will be very difficult to match by those that follow you. Thank you for leaving us such a positive legacy to build on.”
Wang helped the Big Red win back-to-back NCAA Division III National Championships in 2018 and 2019. Wang won the 200 backstroke national title in 2018 and the 200 individual medley in 2019. Wang also was a part of three relays that claimed national titles.
The CoSIDA Division II Academic All-America® of the Year award winner will be announced Wednesday (July 22) and the Division I honoree Thursday (July 23). Grace Barry of Concordia (Neb.) University was named the CoSIDA NAIA Academic All-America® of the Year Monday (July 20).
Bebe Wang is a 5-time NCAA national champion and 15-time All-American.
Denison won back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships in 2018 and 2019, and was among the favorites for the 2020 title.
Wang had the nation's fastest time in the 200 IM, and third-fastest teime in the 200 Freestyle in 2020.
Wang owns a 3.91 GPA in Physics and will continue his education at Purdue.
2019-20 Sport-By-Sport NCAA Division III Academic All-America Team Member of the Year Award Winners
| Name |
Sport |
Class |
Major, G.P.A. |
| Matt Anderson, Wisconsin-Whitewater |
Football |
Sr. |
Biology, 4.00 |
| Katie Bacher, MIT |
Women’s Track/XC |
Sr. |
Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, 4.00 |
| Marcus Dempsey, Muskingum |
Men’s Basketball |
Jr. |
Business Management, 3.906 |
| Sarah DeVries, Calvin |
Volleyball |
Sr. |
Nursing, 3.82 |
| Hanna Hull, Virginia Wesleyan |
Softball |
Sr. |
Mathematics, 3.65 |
| Sydney Kopp, DePauw |
Women’s Basketball |
Sr. |
Political Science, 3.75 |
| KT Kustritz, Denison |
Women’s At-Large |
Sr. |
Health, Exercise, and Sports Studies, 3.74 |
| Derek Manning, Elizabethtown |
Baseball |
Sr. |
Computer Engineering, 4.00 |
| Nick Matteucci, Washington (Mo.) |
Men’s Track/XC |
Sr. |
Chemical Engineering, 4.00 |
| Shannon Reagan, Maryville (Tenn.) |
Women’s Soccer |
Sr. |
Biology, 3.95 |
| Danny Ruple, Baldwin Wallace |
Men’s Soccer |
Sr. |
3:2 MBA in Accounting, 3.93 |
| Bebe Wang, Denison* |
Men’s At-Large |
Sr. |
Physics, 3.91 |
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Michael MacEachern, Young Harris College | Academic All-America® Co-Director for Publicity
mfmaceachern@yhc.edu | (706) 379-5106