May 22, 2008

TUSCALOOSA - Compliments of his perfect 4.0 GPA, University of Alabama senior golfer Joseph Sykora was voted to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District men's at-large team. The at-large category is one of the toughest to make as it includes student-athletes from several different sports.

The Daphne, Alabama native's name will now go on another national ballot for Academic All-America honors with the other first team all-district team members from eight districts in the university division. Sykora, who finished 2nd at the 2008 Southeastern Conference Golf Championships, made the national ESPN Academic All-America team in 2006 and in 2007. He success on the course and in the classroom made conference history in April when he won the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year award from men's golf for a league record third time in a row. He received his undergraduate degree in accounting in May 2007 and his graduate degree in accounting on May 10, 2008.

Sykora is the two-time Alabama State Match Play Champion. He has won two collegiate championships at Alabama, the fall 2006 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate and the fall 2008 Topy Cup in Japan. He is the son of Glenn and Tampa Sykora of Daphne. In April he was named the SEC's Boyd McWhorter Award winner as its top student-athlete in the league in all sports as well as the University of Alabama's Bryant Award winner as its top student-athlete.

Joining him on the All-District 4 winners' list are Eastern Michigan's Don Ellison, Michigan's Eric Tannebaum, Auburn's Don Mazzaferro, Central Michigan's Wynn Michalak, Ohio State's Jake Bateman, Wright State's Micah Belew, Michigan State's Jeff Lerg, Western Kentucky's Wes Brown and Memphis's Benedikt Fischer. Sykora and Fischer had the only perfect 4.0 GPA's on the district's first team. Alabama senior swimmer Austin Shirey, who has a 3.97 in international marketing and Spanish, was named to the 2nd Team in the district. He is from Muscle Shoals.

Sykora and his No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide golf teammates will compete for the national championship next week at the 2008 NCAA Men's Golf Championships. Sykora has contributed to Alabama's record six team tournament championships this season, including the 2008 SEC Championship.