BERKELEY – Showing that they can succeed as much in the classroom as they do in their respective fields of competition, five Golden Bear student-athletes – the most of any school in the Pac-12 – have been voted to the Capital One Academic All-District VIII at-large team. Those earning a place on the squad are: Rachael Acker and Missy Franklin from women’s swimming, Ryan Murphy from men’s swimming, Gregory Bayane from men’s tennis and men’s water polo’s Aleksa Saponjic.
The all-district team includes student-athletes from the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington, plus Canada, in all sports except football, volleyball, basketball, track & field, softball and soccer. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.30.
Acker, a junior who earned all-district and third-team Academic All-America honors last year, owns a 3.95 GPA as a French major and is on a pre-med track. She is a two-time first-team Pac-12 All-Academic choice, as well as swim coaches association Scholar All-American. This past year, she placed 15th in the 200-yard freestyle at the 2015 NCAA Championships and also earned All-American honors on the 400 free relay.
The 2015 NCAA and Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year and 2015 Honda Award recipient as the top female swimmer in the country, Franklin has a 3.58 GPA in psychology. The sophomore won three individual events at the NCAA meet – the 200 free (in an American-record 1:39.10), 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley – leading Cal to the team title. In addition, the Scholar All-American was chosen second-team Pac-12 All Academic.
Ryan Murphy, the 2015 NCAA Swimmer of the Year, also earned Pac-12 Men’s Swimmer of the Year honors after helping the Bears to a national runner-up finish. The sophomore has a 3.78 GPA and has not yet declared his major. He is a two-time NCAA champion in the 100 and 200 back and set an NCAA record of 44.17 in the 100 back leading off the Bears’ 400 medley relay.
Bayane, a senior with a 3.64 GPA in economics, concluded his college tennis career earlier this month with a victory in his last match vs. Texas in the NCAA Tournament second round. He finished the season with a 26-12 record in singles. In the classroom, Bayane received the 2015 Golden Bear Award for posting his team’s top GPA and twice earning spots on the Pac-12 All-Academic first team.
Saponjic earned a bronze medal as a member of the Serbian Olympic team at the 2012 London Olympics and ended his Cal career as a four-time All-American. He led the Bears with 67 goals this past fall and totaled 186 goals over the past four years. He is graduating from Cal with a 3.52 GPA in business administration.
To earn a spot on the all-academic teams, recipients must be a starter or important reserve and have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s contests. Each of the student-athletes is now eligible for the Capital One Academic All-America® ballot, where first, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.
