North Carolina State University Athletics
Knowles, Hansson, Alons Honored as CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
8/6/2021 12:03:00 PM | Swimming
AUSTIN, Texas – NC State swimmers Eric Knowles, Sophie Hansson and Kylee Alons were named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large Teams, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) organization Friday afternoon. It marks the fifth season in a row that the NC State swimming and diving programs have been represented on the list.
Knowles earned a spot on the First Team, marking the third season in a row that he has been named an Academic All-American. Hansson (First Team) and Alons (Second Team) both garnered the honors for the first time in their careers. All three student-athletes boast GPAs of at least 3.8 during their time at NC State.
Alons, who just wrapped up her junior campaign, has compiled a 3.80 GPA as an industrial engineering major. The Fort Collins, Colo., native has been previously honored as a three-time Academic All-ACC Team member and CSCAA Scholar All-American. In 2020-21, Alons won a pair of NCAA titles in the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays, with her butterfly leg in the 400-yard race helping to set a new NCAA and US Open record. She was a 2021 All-American in seven events at the NCAA Championships, including all three of her individual events, and she also reached the A finals of all three of her races at the 2021 ACC Championships. Alons was the ACC champion in the 50-yard freestyle this past season, and she did not lose a single individual race in which she competed in during 2020-21 dual action.
Hansson, who also completed her junior year, is a business management major with a 3.83 cumulative GPA. She is also a three-time honoree on the Academic All-ACC Team and the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team. A native of Helsingborg, Sweden, Hansson won a total of four NCAA titles in 2021. In addition to winning the 200-yard medley relay and helping set the 400-yard medley relay NCAA record, she won a pair of individual titles as she swept the breaststroke races at the national meet. In total, Hansson garnered All-America status in seven events at the 2021 NCAA Championships, and she also won both breaststroke gold medals at the ACC Championships for the third season in a row. Hansson was honored with the H.C. Kennett Award as the best all-around female student-athlete at NC State and was also a finalist for the 2021 Honda Sport Award following her record-setting season.
Knowles has put together a perfect 4.0 GPA through four years as a materials science and engineering major. He adds to his list of academic awards as he has also been recognized as a member of the Academic All-ACC Team and a CSCAA All-American each season of his career. In the pool, the Dayton, Ohio, native was a key contributor to the Pack's gold medal winning 800-yard freestyle relay team at the 2021 ACC Championships and also garnered All-America status in that event this past season. Individually, Knowles also competed in the mile, the 500-yard freestyle and the 400-yard individual medley at the NCAA Championships.
The Wolfpack turns its attention to the 2021-22 collegiate season, where all three honorees will return to action for NC State. The team's full schedule will be released at a later date.
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