Mike Ambrose, 2005-06 First Team Academic All-America Baseball Team |
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Mike Ambrose Named First Team Academic All-America
May 30, 2006
Waltham, Mass. - Charlotte 49ers senior shortstop Mike Ambrose (St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada) is one of five infielders on the 2005-06 ESPN the Magazine University Division First Team Academic All-America Baseball squad, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Ambrose was also the Atlantic 10 Conference's Student-Athlete of the Year, the league's top academic award for the sport of baseball, and a first-team Academic All-District III selection.
Ambrose is Charlotte's 16th Academic All-American overall, and just the fourth to earn First Team honors on the national level. First Team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America is the highest academic honor a student-athlete can receive. The University Division encompasses all institutions and student-athletes in NCAA Division I.
"I'm honored to be selected," said Ambrose. "I try to work hard on and off the field, because I know the importance of both. Being a student-athlete, obviously 'student' comes first and that's what everyone stresses at Charlotte. I could never have done this completely on my own. It takes a lot of help from people around the University, everyone from my professors to the athletic academic center staff to my coaches."
Academically, Ambrose was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Student-Athlete of the Year in voting by the league's sports information offices. He was also chosen to the University Division Academic All-District III team, which advanced him to the national Academic All-America voting.
He finished the 2005-06 academic year with a 3.92 cumulative GPA while majoring in psychology, and is scheduled to graduate in December 2006. Ambrose becomes the second Academic All-American in Charlotte Baseball history, joining two-time second-team selection Steve Wagoner (1986 and 1987).
Athletically, Ambrose was a First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection following his senior campaign. He led the team with a .366 batting average, 83 hits, 16 doubles, six triples, and 17 stolen bases. He was second on the club with 51 RBI and a .515 slugging percentage, played in 110 straight games over his two-year career with the 49ers, and could be a candidate for selection in the upcoming Major League Baseball Draft.
Ambrose joins 15 other 49ers to be named Academic All-America: Siobhan Riley (women's at-large/tennis, 1985), Craig Brown (men's soccer, 1986), Steve Wagoner (baseball, 1986 and 1987), Chris Mark (men's at-large/tennis, 1992 and 93), Jim Kunevicius (men's at-large/soccer, 1997 and 98), Tiffany Howard (softball, 1998), Karin Levin (women's at-large/track and field, 2001), Jobey Thomas (men's basketball, 2002), Ola Jonsson (men's tennis, 2002), Lindsey Duncan (women's soccer, 2003), Sharonda Johnson (women's track & field, 2004), and Lindsey Beam-Ozimek (women's soccer, 2005).
The Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA (the College Sports Information Directors of America), a 2,000 member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
To be eligible, a student-athletes must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
ESPN The Magazine - winner of the 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence - is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.85 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.
For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com or email rlipe@bentley.edu.
2005-06 ESPN THE MAGAZINE FIRST TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA (BASEBALL)
University Division
Position, Student-Athelte, School, District, Year, Hometown, GPA, Major
Pitcher, Edward Degerman, RICE, VI, Sr., Granada Hills, CA, 3.37, Economics
Pitcher, Ryan Bird, SAINT LOUIS, VII, Jr., Potomac, Ill., 3.91, Finance
Catcher, Zach Dillon, BAYLOR, VI, Gr., Urbandale, Iowa, 3.86, Sport Management
Infield, Mike Priest, CAMPBELL, III, Sr., Vernon Hill, Va., 3.90, Biology / Pre-Medicine
Infield, Ryan Mitchell, LIPSCOMB, IV, Sr., Andalusia, Ala., 4.00, Biology
Infield, Mike Ambrose, CHARLOTTE, III, Sr., St. Thomas, Ontario, 3.92, Psychology
Infield, Brandon Buckman, NEBRASKA, VII, Sr., Monument, Colo., 3.48, Civil Engineering
Infield, Marc Maddox, SOUTHERN MISS, VI, Sr., Hattiesburg, Miss., 3.79, Bus.Admin.
Outfield, Phillip Coker*, CHARLESTON, III, Sr., Hanahan, S.C., 3.93, Bio-Chemistry
Outfield, Jacob Stover, ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK, VI, Sr., Salt Lake City, Utah, 4.0, Health Sciences
Outfield, Emeel Salem, ALABAMA, IV, Jr., Mountain Brook, Ala., 3.90, Marketing and Spanish
Utility/DH, Chris Carlson, NEW MEXICO, VI, Jr., Topeka, Kan., 3.69, General Management
* - Academic All-America Student-Athlete of the Year
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