June 9, 2011
By Zach Mendelson, Seminoles.com
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State women's tennis standout, senior Katie Rybakova, has been named a Third Team selection on the 2011 Capital One Academic All-American at-large team, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
"It's an honor to be chosen to the academic All-American team, and it's even more of an honor that I can add to the accomplishments that the team has had over the four years I've been here," said Rybakova. "Hopefully I can continue studying at FSU in the graduate program and I'm looking forward to hearing about the academic and athletic achievements that my fellow `Noles will have in the years to come."
A native of Coral Springs, Fla., Rybakova is an English education major with a 3.93 GPA. During her time at Florida State, Rybakova has made the President's List (perfect 4.0 GPA) three times in her career and the Dean's List twice. She is also a member of SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee). Rybakova is a three-time All-ACC Academic performer and two-time Golden Torch award winner for holding the highest GPA among FSU female athletes.
"I am so proud of Katie and the entirety of her career, not just on the court but more importantly with the magnitude of successes she experienced and earned in the academic realms of her career," said head coach Jennifer Hyde. "She set goals for herself very early on for her time at Florida State and she deserves and has earned every accolade she receives. She is a model student athlete and I could not be more proud."
Ranked as the No. 37 athlete in the country, Rybakova has been equally impressive on the court, defeating ten ranked opponents and holding a 24-16 record during the 2011 season. A four-time All-ACC performer, Rybakova finishes second in FSU history with 103 career wins in singles and holds a school record of four 20 win seasons. She also ranks fourth in FSU history with a combined 173 singles and doubles victories.