Ransford, Coon Named 2018 Academic All-Americans
6/14/2018 12:00:00 PM | General, Men's Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Academic Success Program
• Michigan's Academic All-Americans
AUSTIN, Texas -- University of Michigan student-athletes PJ Ransford (men's swimming and diving) and Adam Coon (wrestling) were named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division I Men's At-Large Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Thursday (June 14).
In addition, Ransford was named Academic All-American of the Year for the Division I Men's At-Large Team. The at-large teams for the Google Cloud Academic All-America® program include fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis and water polo for both men and women, as well as beach volleyball, bowling, field hockey and rowing for women, and volleyball and wrestling for men.
Ransford is the third University of Michigan student-athlete to be named Academic All-American of the Year, joining Kevin Sullivan (1998 -- men's track and field/cross country) and Lindsey Gallo (2004, 2005 -- women's track and field/cross country). He is the seventh student-athlete in school history to be a three-time Academic All-American, adding his name to a list that includes Marty Bodnar (1978, 1980-81 – men's basketball), Diane Dietz (1980-82 -- basketball), Mason Ferlic (2014-16 -- track and field/cross country), Steve Grote (1975-77 -- basketball), Sue Schroeder (1984-86 -- track and field/cross country) and Eric Tannenbaum (2006-08 -- wrestling/at-large).
Ransford, a two-time NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient, ended his collegiate career as a three-time College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-American, three-time CSCAA honorable mention All-American and former Big Ten champion (2016 -- 1,650-yard freestyle). A member of the 2017-18 U.S. National Team, he was one of three team captains who helped lead Michigan to an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Last month, he was chosen as one of University of Michigan's recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor and the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship. He graduated from Michigan in December with his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, having compiled a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.
Coon recently wrapped up his collegiate career as one of the top wrestlers in University of Michigan history. A three-time All-American at heavyweight, Coon placed top three in each of his last three appearances at the NCAA Championships, including two trips to the championship finals.
His 116-15 career record places him sixth in the U-M record book for career winning percentage (.885) and 22nd in total career wins. Coon also ranks eighth among the all-time pin leaders with 38 career falls.
The first four-time team captain in program history, Coon becomes the second Michigan wrestler to earn Academic All-America recognition, joining Tannenbaum. He is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and NWCA All-Academic honoree and earned an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering and a master's degree in space engineering over his five years at Michigan.
The University of Michigan now has three Academic All-Americans for the 2017-18 year: Ransford, Coon and Ivo Cerda (men's soccer).
Players Mentioned
