Florida State University Athletics
Carlson Named ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year
4/17/2020 2:25:38 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State senior diver Molly Carlson was named the 2020 ACC Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Friday, becoming the first Seminole to win the award. The Toronto, Ontario, native joins Kristine Davies (2009, Virginia) and Brittany Viola (2011, Miami) as the only divers in history to capture the honor.
Majoring in psychology with a GPA of 3.841, Carlson adds ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year to her post season awards after winning the ACC Diver of the Year and ACC Diver of the Meet. She was also named an All-American for 1-meter, 3-meter and platform diving by the CSCAA. She also earned her fourth-straight nod to the All-ACC Academic Team.
“Molly and her teammates finished the year up very well both in the pool and in the classroom,” FSU head diving coach John Proctor said. “Our team is filled with outstanding students that work hard on their studies and I am so proud to see them recognized for their work and dedication. This is very well-deserved for Molly and the rest of the team.”
The Toronto, Ontario, native was also voted as the FSU women’s team MVP of the year after winning Diver of the Year.
Including Carlson, 13 Seminoles were selected to the 2020 All-ACC Academic teams, four women, nine men. The men tied for the third highest total of selections behind Virginia (11) and Notre Dame (10).
“I am incredibly proud of our hard-working student-athletes both in the pool and in the classroom,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “They really understand why they are here and they take pride in everything they do. We have set the bar high and we’re never disappointed with this team.”
Seniors Ayla Bonniwell, Griffin Alaniz, Cam Thatcher and junior Josh Davidson each earned their third career selection, while sophomores Nina Kucheran, Izaak Bastian and Jakub Ksiazek captured their second.
Senior Vladimir Stefanik, sophomore Max McCusker, along with freshmen Sydney VanOvermeiren, Aziz Ghaffari and Peter Varjasi were first-time honorees.
All 13 student-athletes were NCAA qualifiers and CSCAA All-Americans.
WOMEN
***Ayla Bonniwell, Florida State, Sr., Finance
****Molly Carlson, Florida State, Sr., Psychology
**Nina Kucheran, Florida State, So., Pre-Biology
Sydney VanOvermeiren, Florida State, Fr., Exploratory
MEN
***Griffin Alaniz, Florida State, Gr., Marketing & Management Comm
**Izaak Bastian, Florida State, So., Athletic Training
***Joshua Davidson, Florida State, Jr., Mechanical Engineering
Mohamed (Aziz) Ghaffari, Florida State, Fr., Marketing
**Jakub Ksiazek, Florida State, So., Management
Max McCusker, Florida State, So., Economics
Vladimir Stefanik, Florida State, Sr., Finance
***Cameron Thatcher, Florida State, Sr., Real Estate
Peter Varjasi, Florida State, Fr., Pre-Industrial Engineering
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