Six make Academic All-American women's at-large team
Six SEC student-athletes highlight the 2022 Academic All-America® women's at-large teams selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The Academic All-America team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom. The women's at-large team includes beach volleyball, bowling, rowing, field hockey, fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis and water polo. Each school is also limited to just four nominees.
Alabama swimmer Morgan Liberto and Florida gymnast Megan Skaggs are first-team Academic All-America honorees. Skaggs teammate Leah Clapper was named to the second team with Ole Miss golfer Chiara Tamburlini and Tennessee swimmer Kara Holt and tennis player Tenika McGiffin were all named third team.
Liberto, an All-American, graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in public administration in May through Alabama's Accelerated Master's Program, maintaining a 4.0 GPA in both courses of study.
Skaggs graduated summa cum laude in August of 2020 with her bachelor's degree in Advertising and completed her master's degree in Entrepreneurship in April of 2022. She joined teammate Trinity Thomas as the only competitors at the 2022 NCAA Championships to claim the maximum of five All-America honors.
Clapper has earned both academic and athletic All-America honors at Florida. She graduated summa cum laude in August of 2021 with her bachelor's degree in advertising. Clapper is currently pursuing her professional master's in UF's College of Journalism and Communications, earning a 4.0 GPA in the 2021-22 academic year.
Tamburlini earned first-team All-America honors by the Women's Golf Coaches Association after her top 10 individual finish at the NCAA Championship. Through six semesters of pursuing her degree in finance from Ole Miss, Tamburlini has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA. A two-time WGCA All-American Scholar, she has also garnered numerous all-conference academic accolades.
Boasting a 4.0 GPA in Neuroscience, Holt added her CoSIDA academic recognitions to her already impressive list of academic accolades of two-time CSCAA Scholar All-America Team honoree and two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection. The junior diver was a member of the Lady Vols' SEC Championship roster, competing on the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform.
McGiffin excelled both on the court and in the classroom for the Lady Vols. As a first-year graduate student, she posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in the Master's of Sport Management program. She amassed a 18-13 singles record with six ranked victories and had similar success in doubles, going 23-15 and reaching the NCAA Doubles Championship Round of 16 before exiting the draw.