College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America Team

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CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame Class of 2021 Announced

by Laurie Bollig, CoSIDA Director of Membership Engagement

A Rhodes Scholar, the NFL’s all-time leading scorer, a two-sport athlete turned global health leader and an elite gymnast now leading international communications efforts highlight the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

Created in 1988, the Academic All-America Hall of Fame recognizes former Academic All-Americas who received a college degree at least 10 years prior, have achieved lifetime success in their professional careers, and are committed to philanthropic causes. The four Hall of Fame inductees will join the prestigious 158-member CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame.

The 2021 inductees into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame are:

• Dr. Nicki Pesik, McDaniel College, Softball and Volleyball
• Dr. Myron Rolle, Florida State University, Football
• Ann (Woods) Smith, University of Florida, Women’s Gymnastics
• Adam Vinatieri, South Dakota State University, Football

More biographical information on each recipient is below.



Dr. Nicki Pesik
McDaniel College, Class of 1986
Volleyball, Softball

Pesik graduated summa cum laude from McDaniel (previously Western Maryland College until 2002) with a degree in biology, where she was a Phi Beta Kappa. As a volleyball player, Pesik was a two-time first-team All-Middle Atlantic hitter in 1984 and 1985 with a career .244 hitting percentage and 202 career blocks. She led the Green Terror to a 155-27-1 record and four NCAA tournament appearances. As an outfielder in softball, Pesik was a three-time all-conference selection and a career .474 hitter, still tops in program history. She had a .548 career on-base percentage and was 15 for 15 in stolen-base attempts. Her .737 career slugging percentage ranks third all-time.

Pesik earned magna cum laude honors from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of Cincinnati Department of Emergency Medicine as an aeromedical flight physician.

She is currently an associate director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she oversees domestic preparedness and global health. Pesik works with other countries to improve their capacity to prevent and respond to infectious disease outbreaks, supervising and mentoring public health advisors, budget analysts, medical and veterinary officers. She helped keep the nation safe during Africa’s Ebola outbreak and worked as the senior CDC official for Zika virus response in Atlanta and Puerto Rico.

Pesik has published numerous articles, book chapters and abstracts, and has been recognized multiple times by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration for excellence in leadership. In 2006, she received the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service for her leadership during the response to Hurricane Katrina.
 

Dr. Myron Rolle 
Florida State University, Class of 2008
Football

It took Rolle only two-and-a-half years to earn his bachelor’s degree and the Rhodes Scholar designation in 2008 at Florida State. On the field for the Seminoles, Rolle earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. In 2008, he earned Associated Press third-team All-American honors and was named second-team All-ACC by the Football Writers Association of America.

Following the 2008 regular season, the FSU coaching staff presented Rolle with the Bill McGrotha/Spirit Humanitarian Award. He won The Touchdown Club of Columbus Male Athlete of the Year, BET Male Athlete of the Year and was also a finalist for the Lott Trophy, awarded to the top defensive player in the country.

Acceptance of the Rhodes Scholar designation meant giving up his senior year in football and relocating to Europe. After completing his studies at Oxford University, Rolle worked to secure a spot in the NFL and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans before hanging up his cleats for a stethoscope.

He is currently a neurosurgery resident at Harvard and the Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2009, Rolle created the Myron L. Rolle Foundation dedicated to the support of three health, wellness and education initiatives benefiting children and families in need.
  Ann (Woods) Smith
University of Florida, Class of 1982
Gymnastics (Honorary Inductee)

During her illustrious athletic career, Smith, who competed under her maiden name Ann Woods, was a 12-time All-American and in 1982 was the AIAW all-around, uneven bars and floor exercise champion. She won the Broderick Award for gymnastics that year as the top female collegiate athlete and was awarded a 1982 NCAA postgraduate scholarship.

A participant in the 1979 World University Games, Smith was an All-Southeastern Conference team member the first two years the conference sponsored the sport. She is ranked third among Gator gymnasts with 20 all-around victories.

She is a member of the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame and was an NCAA Silver Anniversary recipient in 2007.

Smith graduated from Florida with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a master’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in business management. Smith began her career as the women’s sports information director at Florida. She also was on the communications team for the first Goodwill Games (into 1986) before focusing her communications expertise in the consumer products, sports marketing and healthcare industries.

After many years as a communications executive in the healthcare industry, she is currently the vice president of the health group for a global public relations firm. One of Smith’s many education-related volunteer activities is running a consignment shop that raises money for the Wyckoff School System. She is the 2021 Academic All-America Hall of Fame honorary inductee.
 

Adam Vinatieri
South Dakota State University, Class of 1994
Football

A four-time Super Bowl champion, Vinatieri is the NFL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,673 total points in 24 seasons as a placekicker. An undrafted free agent, Vinatieri signed with the New England Patriots in 1996 after a one-year stint in the World League of American Football.

He went on to play in four Super Bowls with the Patriots, winning three. He kicked last-second, game-winning field goals in Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XXXVIII. Vinatieri signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006, winning a fourth Super Bowl that same season. A three-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection, Vinatieri became the NFL’s all-time leading scorer in October 2018, when he passed Morten Andersen. He currently has 2,673 total points - 129 more than Andersen. He earned NCAA Division II All-America recognition at South Dakota State in 1994 after setting the school single-season record with an average of 43.5 yards per punt.

During his collegiate career, he set numerous school placekicking records, including career marks for field goals (27), PATs (104), points by a kicker (195) and longest field goal (51 yards). Vinatieri graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fitness and wellness and was a 1994 CoSIDA Academic All-America selection.