Cowburn, Snyder Named to Capital One Academic All-America Teams
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June 6, 2013
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—Virginia graduate students Sarah Cowburn (rowing) and Matt Snyder (wrestling) have been named Capital One Academic All-Americans, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Thursday (June 6). Cowburn has been recognized on the Women’s At-Large First Team, while Snyder was listed on the Men’s At-Large Third Team for the second consecutive year.
Both were eligible for Academic All-America honors by virtue of being named to the Capital One Academic All-District III At-Large First Teams in May.
Cowburn becomes Virginia’s 22nd Academic All-America First Team selection and the Virginia rowing program’s second Academic All-American (Sarah Borchelt – First Team in 2012). Snyder became Virginia wrestling’s second Academic All-American last year (Jim Pagano – Third Team in 1983) and becomes the 13th Cavalier to earn multiple Academic All-America citations. With Cowburn and Snyder’s honor, UVa now has 70 Academic All-America selections overall.
Cowburn (Worcestershire, England), an architectural history major with a 3.95 cumulative GPA, earned the award in the women’s at-large category, which includes bowling, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, rowing, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball and water polo. Cowburn was the only rowere to be recognized on the Academic All-America First Team.
Snyder (Dalmatia, Pa.), a kinesiology major with a 3.84 cumulative GPA, earned the award in the men’s at-large category, which includes student-athletes from fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. Snyder was one of just four wrestlers to earn a spot on the Academic All-America squad.
In addition to being a two-time Academic All-American, Snyder was named to the Academic All-District First Team for three consecutive seasons. A four-time All-ACC Wrestling Academic Team honoree, Snyder was named the conference’s Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row in 2013 and earned a 2013 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship, the only wrestler in the conference honored.
Snyder was a 2013 NCAA Wrestling Championship qualifier and finished one win shy of All-America status by reaching the tournament’s round of 12. A third-place finisher in the ACC Championships’ competitive 125-pound weight class, Snyder was ranked eighth nationally in both the final NCAA Coaches rankings and the RPI. He finished with a 22-9 record this past season and ended his career as Virginia’s ninth-ranked wrestler in total wins with 99. Snyder’s 32 falls ranks third in program history.
This is Cowburn’s first Academic All-America honor. Cowburn was named to the College Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-South Region First Team and was a part of the Cavalier Varsity Eight that placed fourth at the NCAA Championships on June 2. At the ACC Championships on May 12, Cowburn was named to the All-ACC team for the second consecutive year and was part of the V8 that claimed the ACC title and was named conference Crew of the Year for the second straight season. She was awarded the team’s Scholar-Athlete Award at the Virginia All-Sports Banquet on May 5.
“Sarah Cowburn has been a tremendous contributor to our rowing team over the past two years here at UVa and a brilliant student as well,” Virginia rowing head coach Kevin Sauer said.
Cowburn was named a 2012 College Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) First-Team All-American as part of the UVa Varsity Eight that won the national title and clinched the team NCAA Championship for the Cavaliers.