Seminoles.com
Golden Torch Honors Academics
Oct. 14, 2010
Tallahassee Fla. –
A total of 11 Florida State student-athletes were honored for achieving perfect 4.0 grade point averages while the men’s track and field, men’s tennis and women’s soccer teams were honored for earning the top overall team grade point averages in the past academic year at the 20th Annual Golden Torch Gala which was held at Miller Hall in the University Center on the Florida State campus. The gala was sponsored by the Department of Athletics at Florida State athletics and the Seminole Boosters.
The Golden Torch Gala is a unique event recognizing student-athletes outside of their uniform and playing arenas. It brings distinction and honor to The Florida State University and its student-athletes, many of whom achieve tremendous accolades in the classroom and on the playing field. These young men and women who proudly wear the garnet and gold build the image of Florida State as a superior academic and athletic institution.
With a perfect 4.0 grade point average the Overall Male Golden Torch Award recognizes three distinct men: Kyle Cobb (golf, political science), Daniel Parvin (football, civil engineering), Jeff Tacetta (football, marketing) and Lucas Stowers (track and field, exercise science). Mary Fleming (track and field, economics), Elizabeth Gerrity (women’s cross country, communications), Jamie Kuhn (golf, advertising), Jessica Perry (women’s cross country, biology), Katie Rybakova (tennis, English Education) and Erin Simmons (track and field, biological science), Caroline Smith (swimming and diving, communications) represent the Overall Female Torch Award winners with a 4.0 grade point average.
The men’s tennis and track and field teams shared the honor of Team Golden Torch Award with an overall team grade point average of 3.07. Capping off a great season on the field, the Women’s Soccer team also scored in the classroom. With team grade point average of 3.39, the nationally ranked soccer team took home the Women’s Team Golden Torch Award.
Not only are the student athletes honored at the Golden Torch Gala academically gifted but they are all gifted on their chosen athletic fields as well. All of the student-athletes honored at the gala helped each of the Seminoles’ 19 sports reach their respective NCAA Tournament championships during the 2009-10 academic year and helped the Seminoles finish No. 5 in the nation in the all-sports ranking of the NACDA Director’s Cup which measures the overall athletics success of every Division I team.
The student-athletes on each team with the highest grade point averages received the individual Golden Torch Awards. The winners are as follows:
Team Student-Athlete GPA Major
Baseball James Ramsey 3.91 Finance
Men's Basketball Luke Loucks 3.28 Management
Men's Cross Country Matthew Huckaby 3.83 Exercise Science
Football Dustin Hopkins 3.97 Communication and Media
Men's Golf Kyle Cobb 4.00 Political Science
Men's Swimming and Diving Hibai Iriondo 3.81 Civil Engineering
Men's Tennis Keith Embree 3.75 Sport Management
Men's Track and Field Lucas Stowers 4.00 Exercise Science
Women's Basketball Christian Hunnicutt 3.77 Communication Disorders
Women's Cross Country Mary Fleming 4.00 Economics
Elizabeth Gerrity 4.00 Creative Writing
Jessica Parry 4.00 Biology
Women's Golf Jamie Kuhn 4.00 Advertising
Women's Soccer Tifani Mullen 3.79 Communication
Women's Softball Victoria Haddad 3.72 Exercise Science
Women's Swimming and Diving Caroline Smith 4.00 Communication
Women's Tennis Katie Rybakova 4.00 Economics and Biological Science
Women's Track and Field Mary Fleming 4.00 Economics
Erin Simmons 4.00 Biological Sciences
Women's Volleyball Taylor Wilson 3.90 Interior Design
Women's Team Soccer 3.39
Men's Team Tennis/Track & Field 3.07