June 10, 2010
Texas A&M senior swimmers Ella Doerge and Julia Wilkinson were named to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women's At-Large Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
           Doerge, from Clive, Iowa, was named to the first team, while Wilkinson, from Stratford, Ont., Canada, received second-team honors. Both swimmers were mainstays for the 2010 Big 12 Champion Aggie swimming and diving team that went on to finish sixth at the NCAA Championships. Wilkinson became Texas A&M's first swimming NCAA Champion with her victory in the 100 free and finished her A&M career with 19 Big 12 titles and 23 All-America citations, while Doerge won a Big 12 crown and All-America honors with the 200 medley relay in 2010.
                 "This honor is just a continuation of what these two student-athletes have done throughout their careers here at Texas A&M," Aggie head swimming coach Steve Bultman said. "Their accomplishments in the pool, in the classroom and as leaders speak for themselves. Ella and Julia are very deserving of these awards and have worked very hard to accomplish their goals."
                 A two-time Academic All-American, Doerge graduated with her bachelor's degree in genetics with a perfect 4.0 grade point average during Texas A&M's spring commencement. A 2009 Rhodes Scholarship finalist, Doerge received the NCAA Elite 88 Academic Recognition Award, and she was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Conference team three times. She also received the 2009-10 Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship from the Big 12 Conference. Last year, she earned the Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
                 Also a two Academic All-American, Wilkinson received her bachelor's degree in communication last month. Wilkinson was a three-time member of the Academic All-Big 12 team and received special recognition in 2010 with a perfect 4.0 GPA. At Texas A&M's CHAMPS Academic Banquet, Wilkinson was named the Distinguished Letterman as a senior after receiving the Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a junior.