STANFORD, Calif. - Junior Simone Manuel was named Academic First-Team All-District by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The distinction awards the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Manuel now advances to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where first, second and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.
A communication major, Manuel holds a 3.48 GPA at Stanford, and was also a Pac-12 All-Academic selection. She is involved in the USA Swim Foundation's Make A Splash program with an initiative to save children's lives through swim lessons.
In the pool, Manuel made history at the Rio Olympics as the first African-American woman to win an individual gold medal in swimming. The Sugar Land, Texas, native continued to rewrite the record books at the the NCAA level. At the NCAA Championships, Manuel won four national titles, earned the maximum seven All-America honors, set three American relay records (200, 400, 800 free) and became the first woman to break 46 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle (45.56). She finished undefeated in the 100 free during Stanford's 8-0 dual meet season, and helped lead the Cardinal to its first national title since 1998.
The four-time Olympic medalist (two gold, two silver), has now totaled eight NCAA titles, 14 All-America honors and 10 Pac-12 championships in her first two seasons at Stanford. She was named the 2017 Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year, and is a two-time Honda Award finalist.
Manuel is competing in the Arena Pro Swim Series, and is preparing for the U.S. World Championships trials, June 28-July 2 in Indianapolis, Ind. Those that make Team USA will join head coach Greg Meehan, who is serving as head coach of the USA Women at the WOrld Championships in Budapes, Hungary, July 23-30.
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