Kupets adds SEC Athlete of the Year honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Georgia gymnast Courtney Kupets added another honor on Tuesday as she was chosen as the 2008-2009 Roy F. Kramer Southeastern Conference Female Athlete of the Year by a vote of the league's athletics directors, Commissioner Mike Slive announced.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was named the SEC Male Athlete of the Year.

"The SEC is very proud to honor Tim and Courtney, as they are outstanding examples of what a student-athlete can accomplish, both athletically and educationally," Slive said. "Their hard work and dedication to excellence have made them fine representatives of their universities and this conference. We congratulate them and wish them the best in their future endeavors."

On Monday, Kupets earned the Honda-Broderick Cup as the nation's top collegiate female athlete. The 2007 and 2009 Honda Award winner, Kupets finished her collegiate career as the NCAA record-holder with nine individual titles in three years, missing the 2008 season due to injury. She is the only gymnast to win NCAA titles in each event and was a three-time NCAA all-around champion. A 15-time All-American, she was named the 2009 AAI National, SEC and Southeast Region Gymnast of the Year. The Athens, Ga., native is the recipient of NCAA and SEC postgraduate scholarships and has been named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Teams. She was also given the Russell Student Award by the Blue Key National Honor Society.

The other male nominees were: Andre Smith, Alabama (football); Blake Strode, Arkansas (tennis); : Matt Targett, Auburn (swimming); Knowshon Moreno, Georgia (football); Bruno Agostinelli, Kentucky (tennis); Louis Coleman, LSU (baseball); Michael Oher, Ole Miss (football); Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State (basketball); Devan Downey, South Carolina (basketball); John Patrick Smith, Tennessee (tennis); D.J. Moore, Vanderbilt (football).

The other female nominees were: Charlotte Morgan, Alabama (softball); Aurelija Miseviciute, Arkansas (tennis); DeWanna Bonner, Auburn (basketball); Stacey Nelson, Florida (softball); Sarah Rumley, Kentucky (volleyball); Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, LSU (gymnastics); Juliana Smith, Ole Miss (track & field); Chelsea Bramlett, Mississippi State (softball); LaKya Brookins, South Carolina (track & field); Sarah Bowman, Tennessee (track & field); Jennifer Risper, Vanderbilt (basketball).