Swan And Ballard Earn Verizon Academic All-American Honors
5/22/2001 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 22, 2001
CONTACT: Mandy B. Sciba
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Stephen F. Austin State University pole vaulters, junior Misty Ballard (Carlsbad, NM.) and senior Tom Swan (Ovilla, Tex.) have been named to the 2001 Verizon Academic All-District VI Spring At-Large Team. Individuals were selected by sports information directors across the nation on the basis of both academic and athletic achievement. Seventy-three student athletes were nominated for the women and 57 student athletes were nominated for the men.
Swan has maintained a 4.0 while majoring in aviation and holding a minor in business at SFA. While doing this, he has been a member of the President's List every semester. He was awarded the Murray Shaw Academic Athlete of the Year award at the 2001 men's athletic banquet. Swan has been named to the Southland Conference Commissioner's List for Academic Excellence, a SLC Scholar-Athlete and the SFA Athletic Honor Roll. He also earned the F.L. McDonald Scholarship (2001).
His athletic accomplishments include All-Conference honors and tying the SFA indoor vaulting record. Swan's career best vault has been 5.00M (16-04.75). At the 2001 SLC Championship Outdoor Meet he placed second in the pole vault earning All-Conference honors once again. He provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships during the 2000 indoor season.
Ballard has maintained a 4.0 while majoring in English and minoring in Spanish. She has also been a member of the President's List every semester at SFA. Ballard has earned several honors including being named a SLC Scholar-Athlete, a member of the Commissioner's List for Academic Excellence and a SFA Athletic Honor Roll member. At the 2001 women's athletic banquet, Ballard was named the June Irwin Ladyjack Athlete of the Year and the Kathy McGough Academic Athlete of the Year.
Ballard's athletic accomplishments are numerous as she has broken record after record while at SFA. At the 2001 USA Track and Field Meet in Atlanta, Georgia she placed seventh overall. During the 2001 indoor season she set meet records at both the Oklahoma Track Classic and the Louisiana State University Invitational. She has been a two-time SLC Athlete of the Week (2001), 2001 indoor pole vault champion and 2001 outdoor pole vault champion. Due to her performances at the SLC Championship Meets she has earned All-Conference Honors. Her career best vault came during the 2001 indoor season at 13-05.25 (2/17/01). She holds the SLC all-time indoor/outdoor pole vaulting records and has competed in the NCAA Championship Meet (2000, 2001).
Both Swan and Ballard will be nominated from District VI for the national Verizon Academic All-American Team selected by CoSIDA.
