Three Pointers Named Academic All-American

UW-Stevens Point Lands Three GTE Academic All-Americans

It’s quite a feat for any school to land an Academic All-American, but to land three on one team, is especially rare.

That’s precisely what the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has done in the latest GTE Academic All-American voting as swimmer Brent Newport, cross country runner Dan Schwamberger and swimmer Becca Uphoff all earned the honor on the Fall/Winter team for at-large sports. UW-Stevens Point was one of only three schools to land three at-large Academic All-Americans, joining Emory (Ga.) and UC-San Diego.

Newport was a men’s first-team selection, while Schwamberger earned men’s second team recognition and Uphoff was a women’s third-team honoree. The Pointers also had a selection earlier this season in football as Andy Palzkill was a second-team performer. The teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The at-large teams consist of all NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA athletes in fall and winter sports besides football, volleyball and basketball. Of the 45 men and 45 women selected, only one other athlete from a Wisconsin college was recognized, UW-La Crosse’s Jenny Fiedler in women’s cross country. All three UW-Stevens Point athletes were named the WIAC scholar athlete in their respective sport.

"Brent’s, Dan’s, Becca’s, and all of our athletes’ academic accomplishments this year provide ample proof that Division III colleges and universities can field many of the best athletes in the country while continuing to emphasize scholarship first," UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Thomas George said.

"This is a tremendous honor for our entire university," UW-Stevens Point Athletics Director Frank O’Brien said. "These three student-athletes have done an outstanding job balancing athletics and academics and we’re extremely proud of their accomplishments."

Newport, a senior from Berlin, Wis., boasts a 3.97 GPA in Biology and Business Administration with minors in Chemistry and Computer Information Systems. He won WIAC titles in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, while also swimming on the 200 and 400 medley relay teams as the Pointers won their third WIAC title in four years. Newport qualified for the NCAA Division III meet in all four events and earned All-American honors in the 400 medley relay, finishing sixth.

In 1999, Newport won the Business and Economics Meritorious Continuing Student Award and the Biology Faculty Research Award. He has also been awarded the Sentry Insurance Scholarship the past four years. He was a recipient of the 1999 University Leadership Award.

In addition, Newport has worked as an office assistant in the UW-Stevens Point International Programs Office for four years. He has also served as a Content and Reading/Writing Tutor in the UW-Stevens Point Tutoring-Learning Center.

Schwamberger, a senior from North Mankato, Minn., holds a 3.91 grade point average in Forest Management. He was a cross country All-American the past two seasons, finishing 25^th at the NCAA Division III national meet as a senior and 20^th as a junior. Schwamberger also recently won the national championship in the 5000 meters at the Division III indoor track meet. Schwamberger is a member of the UW-Stevens Point Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the Student Society of Aboriculture. He also was named UW-Stevens Point’s outstanding male athlete in an individual sport for the 1999-00 season.

Uphoff, a senior from Madison and a graduate of West High School, is majoring in Communicative Disorders with a minor in Psychology and boasts a 3.83 GPA. She became a four-time WIAC champion this season in the 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke, while also winning her third straight 500 freestyle title as the Pointers won their first-ever WIAC title. Uphoff also won three WIAC relay titles this season and became a five-time All-American by finishing sixth in the 200 freestyle relay and seventh in the 800 freestyle relay.

In the 1998-99 academic year, Uphoff won the Outstanding Junior of the Year Award in the Department of Communicative Disorders and the UW-Stevens Point Scholar-Athlete Award. Uphoff is a member of the Student Speech and Hearing Association and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She has also worked extensively with children requiring speech and language therapy and has taught private swimming lessons at UW-Stevens Point.

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