April 6, 2015
As part of April 6’s National STUDENT-Athlete Day, RamblinWreck.com will highlight eight Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets that epitomize the ideals of being a student-athlete.
4:00 p.m. – Our final set of features profiles All-American swimmer Andrew Kosic and women’s basketball All-ACC Academic selection Roddreka Rogers.
Andrew Kosic, Men’s Swimming
The son of a Division I swim coach (dad) and collegiate swimmer (mom), Andrew Kosic concluded his college career as one of the most decorated swimmers in Georgia Tech history. Kosic finished as Georgia Tech’s record holder in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 100 backstroke. He is also a member of the record-holding 400 and 800 freestyle relay teams.
He qualified for the NCAA Championship for the third straight season as a senior, earning multiple All-America honors this season. He placed fifth in the 50 free on the opening night of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship in Iowa City, Iowa.
He broke his own Tech record in the 50 free twice (19.11 on lead-off leg of 200 free relay, 19.10 in 50 free prelim). Two days later, Kosic earned a second All-American honor, finishing 12th overall in the 100 freestyle. The three-time All-ACC Academic Team selection is a chemical and biomolecular engineering major.
He is scheduled to graduate in May. He has also interned with the Marathon Petroleum Company.
Roddreka Rogers, Women’s Basketball
Georgia Tech women’s basketball player Roddreka Rogers represented the Yellow Jackets on the 2014-15 All-ACC Academic Team. Rogers became the ninth Yellow Jacket to earn the honor — a year after being named to the 2014 ACC Academic Honor Roll.
A literature media and culture major, Rogers led the Jackets in rebounding all season with an average of 9.9 rebounds per game which ranks fifth in the ACC. She also has averaged 9.7 points per game. During ACC play, the forward averaged a double-double, with 10.4 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game.
The Charlotte, N.C., native finished with 12 double-doubles this season and pulled down at least 12 rebounds in 11 games this season. Rogers finished out the regular-season strong, averaging 12.2 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per game over the past six games. In the ACC Tournament, Rogers recorded back-to-back double-doubles in Tech’s win against Clemson and loss to No. 16 North Carolina. Against Clemson, Rogers scored a career-high 20 points and pulled down a team-best 14 rebounds. She also led the Jackets in rebounding vs. North Carolina with 11 boards and scored 10 points.
She helped the Jackets reach the second round of the 2015 Women’s NIT. In Tech’s season-ending loss at Ole Miss, Rogers posted her 12th double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
2:00 p.m. – Our third set of features profiles 2015 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award candidate Devin Stanton (baseball) and 2015 NCAA Championship diver Shannon Lumbra (diving).
Devin Stanton, Baseball
In March, senior pitcher Devin Stanton was chosen as one of 30 NCAA baseball candidates for the 2015 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.
Bouncing back from Tommy John surgery in 2012, which forced him to miss much of the 2013 season, Stanton had a breakout year in 2014 in his first year as a starting pitcher. He finished with a 5-3 record and the ACC’s sixth-best ERA of 2.24, which included ACC wins over No. 1 Florida State, Duke and Virginia Tech. He was Tech’s starting pitcher in the ACC Championship game win over Maryland and was also on the mound for one of the Yellow Jackets’ wins at the NCAA Oxford Regional. The former relief pitcher has made 51 career appearances and owns a 3.14 ERA.
A native of Lilburn, Ga., and a graduate of Wesleyan School, Stanton was an All-ACC Academic honoree last year and is a three-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll. His cumulative GPA stands at 3.56, which includes a 4.0 during the spring 2014 semester. He has earned Dean’s List honors six times and Faculty Honors once.
Stanton has been extremely active in community outreach programs both locally and internationally, highlighted by a five-day trip to the Dominican Republic last year when he and other Tech student-athletes worked in an orphanage. Stanton routinely delivers extra team-issued gear and clothing to a local Covenant House, which is a homeless shelter for children through age 21. He has served on an advisory panel for high school males at The Best Academy at Benjamin S. Carson, answering questions about opportunities for college through sports. Stanton has also been a four-year volunteer with Tech’s Michael Isenhour Toy Drive and with the Special Olympics.
A two-year team captain, Stanton has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches for his work-ethic on and off the field. He has spent two years on the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board, and four years in the Tech Fellowship of Christian Athletes, including two years on the FCA Leadership Team.
Stanton was married in the off-season to former Georgia Tech softball player Alysha Rudnik, who was a finalist for the softball Senior CLASS Award in 2014.
Shannon Lumbra, Women’s Diving
Standing at 5-foot-3, junior Shannon Lumbra stood tall for the Yellow Jackets women’s swimming & diving program, qualifying for the 2015 NCAA Championship.
With a sixth-place finish on the 1-meter springboard at the NCAA Zone B Championship in Athens, Lumbra became the third Georgia Tech women’s diver — and first since 2008 — to reach the NCAA Championship. She finished 23rd in the 3-meter and 26th in the 1-meter in Greensboro, N.C.
A two-time All-ACC Academic selection, the business administration major was one of four Jackets named to the 2014 All-ACC Academic squad. Lumbra owns Georgia Tech’s school record for the 1-meter with a score of 312.70.
As a freshman, she was named the team’s Female Co-MVP (along with Hailey White) after an impressive rookie season. On pace to graduate in 2016 with BBA in management and operations.
12:00 p.m. – Our second set of features profiles 2014 Freshman All-America defensive end KeShun Freeman (football) and ITA All-American Megan Kurey (women’s tennis).
KeShun Freeman, Football
Twelve months after graduating early from high school, defensive end KeShun Freeman was recognized as one of the nation’s best freshmen in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). In fact, he was tabbed as a Freshman All-American by four different media outlets — 247Sports, ESPN.com, Phil Steele, and USA TODAY.
Growing up, Freeman heard he was too small. At 6-foot-1, Freeman has made a big plays for the Yellow Jackets, who finished 11-3 and Capital One Orange Bowl champions in 2014.
The LaGrange, Ga., native played in all 14 games as a rookie, making 12 consecutive starts at defensive end. He led all defensive linemen with 54 tackles, while leading the Jackets’ defense with 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Nov. 3, 2014, after posting five tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one blocked kick in a win over Virginia. He may only be a freshman on the football roster, but Freeman possesses the maturity of an upperclassmen.
He has volunteered countless hours with the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board through events such as the Special Olympics and delivering Valentine’s Day cards to the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta as part of #CHOAHeartStrong. As a child, Freeman excelled at Taekwondo, finishing with a red belt — one level below a black belt. He is majoring in business administration with a minor in pre-health.
Freeman’s end goal is to enroll in medical school to become a pediatric anesthesiologist.
Megan Kurey, Women’s Tennis
After hearing the cheers from the crowd during her first two seasons at Georgia Tech, junior Megan Kurey has spent a part of the 2014-15 season cheering on her teammates from the sideline.
Georgia Tech’s team captain has been fighting plantar fasciitis in her left foot, an injury that forced her to miss the entire fall season. She has seen some action for the Yellow Jackets in the spring, posting a 6-4 singles mark and a 4-2 doubles record.
As a sophomore in 2013, she partnered with Kendal Woodard to win the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Doubles Championship. A few months later, the duo was ranked the No. 1 doubles team in the nation by ITA. She was named a 2014 ITA All-American in doubles and earned second-team All-ACC honors. The management major is a two-time All-ACC Academic Team selection (2013, 2014).
The consummate teammate, Kurey was one of 20 Georgia Tech student-athletes that spent the first days of their holiday break in December on a service trip in the Dominican Republic. The group assisted with community service projects in the La Romana community and hosted sports camps for the kids in the area.
A business administration major with a concentration in operations and supply chain management, the two-time Dean’s List honoree is on pace to graduate in May 2016.
10:00 a.m. – Our first set of features profiles 2015 Byron Nelson Award winner Anders Albertson (golf) and President’s Scholarship recipient Allison Brack (track / cross country).
Anders Albertson, Golf
Last week, senior golfer Anders Albertson was named the recipient of the 2015 Byron Nelson Award, which is given to a graduating senior who demonstrates the qualities exemplified by Byron Nelson.
A mainstay in the Georgia Tech lineup, Albertson has never missed a tournament for the Yellow Jackets. He’s a two-time All-America selection and has earned All-ACC honors three times. Albertson’s career stroke average of 71.47 over 137 rounds ranks as the third-best in school history. He has 19 top-10 finishes, including 11 in the top five while at Georgia Tech. His lone victory came at the 2013 ACC Championship.
Albertson has also found success in the classroom. He is a four-time selection to the ACC Academic Honor Roll. Albertson was named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar and to the ACC All-Academic Team. He was also recipient of Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Scholarship for 2013-14. Later this spring, Albertson will be honored will be a recipient of the ACC Scholar-Athlete Honorary Award.
The Woodstock, Ga., native has served as the golf representative to the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) since his sophomore year. He has been active in recruiting his teammates to volunteer for Georgia Tech Athletic Association community service projects and ensured they stayed plugged into department events. Albertson was the golf team liaison for the Alexander-Tharpe Fund “Thank-a-Thon” project and implementation of the annual Michael Isenhour Toy Drive.
He has also volunteered with the Georgia Special Olympics Winter Games, Children’s Miracle Network’s Dance Marathon and Kid on Campus, an organization that brings children to Georgia Tech’s campus who have battled or been affected by cancer. Albertson has also been active in Campus Christian Fellowship, including the Campus Christian Fellowship Homeless Outreach Program.
Allison Brackin, Track
A fourth-year industrial and systems engineering major, Allison Brackin was a recipient of the Georgia Tech President’s Scholarship, which is awarded based on scholarship, leadership, progress, and service.
Brackin is a year-round participant for Tech’s cross country and track teams. Most recently, Brackin was Tech’s top performer in the 5,000 meters at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla. She finished 13th overall with a time of 17:14.64.
Outside of athletics, she is a senior leader for the Christian Campus Fellowship ministry and is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society.
In 2012, she participated in a three-month study abroad program in Metz, France. During the summer of 2013, she was an executive leader for the President’s Scholarship Program’s annual incoming freshman retreat.
The Marietta, Ga., native is scheduled to graduate in May with her bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering.
ABOUT NATIONAL STUDENT-ATHLETE DAY
National STUDENT-Athlete Day is generally recognized on April 6 nationwide, but can be celebrated throughout the months of March and April at NCAA colleges and universities. The day recognizes the accomplishments of student-athletes who excel in the classroom, on the playing fields and who give back to their community through service projects. National STUDENT-Athlete Day was created by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and the Northeastern University Center for the Study of Sport in Society. NCAA involvement began in 1994.
The NCAA provides financial assistance and administrative support to the NCAS by providing colleges and universities with nomination forms for the Giant Steps awards and other pertinent materials to promote National STUDENT-Athlete Day. NCAA member institutions are encouraged to recognize outstanding student-athletes and to make National STUDENT-Athlete Day a meaningful experience by placing posters around their campuses and participating in community activities.
NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAACs) have created a variety of programs for National STUDENT-Athlete Day. Some SAACs do community outreach by visiting patients at local hospitals, while other SAACs speak to elementary or middle school students about the importance of education. Some SAACs have hosted luncheons to recognize the accomplishments of their peers, while other SAACs have hosted interactive assemblies at their campuses for local students.
