Simpson Named Academic All-American

Waltham, Mass. ? Nebraska senior women’s gymnast Richelle Simpson was honored as a second-team academic All-American Friday, June 17 by the College Sports Information Directors of America and ESPN The Magazine. The award follows Simpson’s selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII At-Large Team last month.

 

The Toronto, Ontario, Canada native was one of only four gymnasts selected to the 2005 women’s At-Large Team. Joining her on the second team was UCLA’s Kate Richardson, while Jessica Guyer (Bowling Green) and Meghan Miller (Cornell) were each named to the third team.

 

Simpson becomes the ninth Husker gymnast to win an Academic All-America award since 1988, and only the fourth to be voted as high as Second Team. Nebraska now has recorded one honoree each of the last five years.

 

Simpson, the 2003 NCAA All-Around and floor exercise champion and a nine-time All-American, has stockpiled honors both in the gym and in the classroom this season.  She earned the Huskers’ first-ever AAI American Award and claimed a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship following her senior season, while she is also an NCAA Woman-of-the-Year nominee. Simpson captured her second Big 12 Conference all-around title and was named the 2005 South Central Region Co-Gymnast of the Year.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in international studies and French from Nebraska in May, carrying a 3.882 grade-point average.

 

Simpson becomes the fifth NU athlete to earn Academic All-America honors in 2005 from CoSIDA, joining fellow Huskers Chad Sievers (First Team?Football), Kellen Huston (Second Team?Football), Daniel Bruce (Second Team?Baseball) and Matt Murray (Third Team?men’s At-Large).