Two Ohio State Student-Athletes Receive CoSIDA Academic All-America Honors – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | General
June 15, 2004
Columbus, Ohio – Ohio State student-athletes Jamey Houle and Mitch Richeson were named to the 2004 Academic All-America Men’s At-Large Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Tuesday. Houle, an All-American gymnast, and Richeson, an All-American diver, were named to the first team.
Richeson, a junior from Greenwood, Ind., is a computer science and engineering major and has posted a 3.97 cumulative grade point average during his tenure at Ohio State. Named an OSU Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Richeson was also recognized as the Most Outstanding Diver by the men’s swimming and diving team this season. Emerging among the top divers in the nation, Richeson finished fifth overall at the 2004 Speedo American Cup in Minneapolis, Minn., in April and earned a spot at the U.S. Olympic team trials in diving, where he finished 12th in the 3-meter springboard. Richeson finished 19th in the 3-meter dive and ninth in the 1-meter dive at the 2004 NCAA Championships, earning All-American honors. At the Big Ten championships, Richeson was crowned Big Ten champion in the 3-meter dive, breaking the conference meet record. Richeson also finished second in the 1-meter dive and ninth in the platform dive and was named first team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Diver of the Year. During the dual-meet season, Richeson posted first-place finishes in every 1-meter dive event in which he competed. He was also named Big Ten Diver of the Week after his double-win performance against Ohio. Richeson continues post-season action June 7-13 in St. Peters, Mo., for the U.S. Olympic team trials in diving.
Houle, a senior from Enfield, Conn., maintains a 3.97 grade point average in psychology and has been the recipient of numerous academic accolades. A four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, Houle also earned three Academic All-Big Ten honors and College Gymnastics Association All-Academic national laurels during his collegiate career. As a graduating senior, Houle was a finalist for the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor, presented annually to the Ohio State male senior student-athlete who demonstrates excellence in academics and athletics. A finalist for the Nissen-Emery Award, given to the top senior male collegiate gymnast, Houle competed in every 2004 Buckeye meet, including the Big Ten and NCAA championships. The All-American set career-highs on vault (9.15), floor (9.250), pommel horse (9.325) and the all-around (52.550), and concluded the season No. 18 nationally, on pommel horse. Houle competed in several U.S. Gymnastics national meets, including the U.S. Gymnastics championships in 2001. A four-year starter at OSU, the 2004 team co-captain contributed to a Buckeye squad that captured the 2001 NCAA crown, as well as two Big Ten championships.
The men’s at-large category for Academic All-America honors contains the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. Student-athletes that earned First Team At-Large Academic All-District honors were eligible for the All-America team.
