March 19, 2011
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Arizona State gymnast Mary Atkinson was named the 2011 Pac-10 Scholar Athlete, presented by Toyo Tires, for the sport of gymnastics, the Pac-10 Conference announced today.
Atkinson, a senior on the Gym Devil squad, holds a 3.72 in bioscience at Arizona State and is a member of the prestigious Barrett Honors College. In addition to preparing to attend dental school in the fall, Atkinson participated in a joint initiative between the honors college and the world-renowned Mayo Clinic.
In 2010, Atkinson finished ninth nationally on vault for Arizona State, earning All-American honors in the event. A consummate all-around gymnast, Atkinson led the Sun Devils in almost every event for the first half of the season before she was sidelined with a career-ending injury in February.
The senior joins an elite group Sun Devil athletes to earn the illustrious academic honor. With the inception of the award in 2007, 15 total ASU athletes have won the Pac-10 Scholar Athlete Award, presented by Toyo Tires, second most in the conference to Stanford.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletic eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-10 institution nominates one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-10 staff members at the conclusion of each sport's regular season.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year is named in each of the Pac-10's 22 sponsored sports: baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's cross country, women's cross country, football, men's golf, women's golf, women's gymnastics, men's rowing, women's rowing, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's track & field, women's track & field, women's volleyball and wrestling.