June 13, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Gretchen Kittelberger, a member of the University of Maryland gymnastics team, was named Friday to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team in balloting by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
The graduate student from Webster, N.Y., was one of 15 members of the women's at-large team for Division I. The at-large selections represent student-athletes from NCAA-sponsored sports other than volleyball, basketball, softball, soccer and track and field.
Kittelberger is the third Maryland student-athlete receiving Academic All-America status during the current season. Men's soccer player Stephen King was a first-team Academic All-American, while women's basketball player Crystal Langhorne was a second-team pick.
Academic honors are nothing new to Kittelberger, who last year won the Atlantic Coast Conference's Postgraduate Scholarship Award. Kittelberger has also twice been named the East Atlantic Gymnast League's Scholar-Athlete and made the EAGL All-Academic Team all four of her years as an undergraduate student. Kittelberger was the ACC Community Service Award winner in 2006 and was the valedictorian of her high school class at Webster Schroeder High School.
On the mat, Kittelberger averaged a 9.520 on vault, 9.15 on bars, 9.383 on beam and 9.596 on floor last season. Kittelberger posted a 38.225 in her only all-around performance of the season.
Kristi Miller, a senior tennis player from Georgia Tech, was the Academic All-American of the Year.
2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America
University Division - Women's At-Large First Team
Vanessa Andrews, Sr., Tulsa (rowing)
Amanda Blumenherst, Jr., Duke (golf)
Hilary Bowen, Jr., Northwestern (lacrosse)
Kate Burdick, Sr., Michigan State (rowing)
Molly Crispell, Sr., Penn State (swimming)
Rachel Dawson, Sr., North Carolina (field hockey)
Kara Denby, Sr., Auburn (swimming)
Gretchen Kittelberger, GR., MARYLAND (gymnastics)
Stacy Lewis, Sr., Arkansas (golf)
Christine Magnuson, Sr., Tennessee (swimming)
Diana Martinez, Sr., So.Car.-Upstate (tennis)
Kristi Miller, Sr., Georgia Tech (tennis)
Azahara Munoz, Jr., Arizona State (golf)
Imke Reimers, Sr., Nebraska (tennis)
Kelly Zahalka, Jr., Navy (swimming)
