Marianne Andersson

Emily Flanigan

Jeb Halfacre

It has been an exceptional year for FSC athletes, both in the classroom and in competition. Golfers Marianne Andersson and Emily Flanigan and swimmer Jeb Halfacre were each selected for prestigious national awards in recognition of their combined athletic prowess and high academic achievement.

Each year, the Capitol One Academic All-America® program selects student-athletes who excel in their chosen sports while maintaining strong academic records. Andersson, a senior from Bjuv, Sweden, was chosen as the Capitol One Academic All-American of the Year for the 2011 Women's College Division At-Large Team, the first FSC student to receive this high honor.

The At-Large Team, of which both Andersson and teammate Flanigan were chosen as first-team members, is composed of golf, tennis, swimming, and several other sports from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and II schools, as well as National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools. Andersson was a first-team selection on the Academic At-Large Team last year, and has now become the third Moccasin student-athlete to earn first-team Academic All-American honors for two straight years.

Andersson and Flanigan, who each earned perfect 4.0 GPAs for their college careers, were also named First Team All-Americans by the National Golf Coaches Association.

At the NCAA Division II finals, Andersson won the Elite 88 Award for women's golf, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the national finals. She went on to finish in 11th place at the national tournament and ended the season with a 75.36 stroke average. Her career average of 76.31 is fourth in the team record book.

Flanigan was the Moccasins' top golfer at the national finals with a fifth-place finish. It was the ninth time in 12 tournaments this season that she placed in the top 10, and it was the fifth time she placed in the top five. Her 75.23 stroke average was second on the team and more than three strokes better than her career average coming into the season. Her three-under par 69 in the third round of the national tournament tied the school's postseason record.

In addition to the outstanding achievements of FSC golfers, swimmer Jeb Halfacre was named the 2010-11 Sunshine State Conference Male Athlete of the Year.

A sophomore from Gainesville, Fla., Halfacre won the NCAA Division II Championship in the 200-yard backstroke for the second consecutive season. He posted a time of 1:45.02 to finish nearly three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. He was also the national runner-up in the 100-yard backstroke for the second year in a row. Halfacre’s exceptional performance in those races earned All-American honors for both events.

In addition to his individual accomplishments, Halfacre also swam the first leg for the Moccasins’ 400-yard medley relay team that won the national title with a mark of 3:14.91. He swam the same leg on FSC’s 200-yard medley relay team that placed second at the Division II meet. Halfacre joined his teammates in collecting All-American honors in three different relay events and received honorable mention All-American in two others.

Halfacre is the 12th FSC student-athlete to be named Male Athlete of the Year and the second in a row. Golfer Matt Stauch claimed the honor a year ago.