Girod, Pinto Earn ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA District Academic Honors
Girod, a junior majoring in international business, holds a cumulative 3.91 grade point average. He was a 2004 ITA Scholar-Athlete and Academic all-Southeastern Conference selection. He is an MSU's President's Scholar and member of Beta Gamma Sigma business honorary.
On the court this year, Girod went 22-13 overall in singles, including a team-leading, 15-4 record in team competition. The Belfort, France, product went 8-3 in the SEC and was named SEC Player of the Week after State's upset of No. 7 Georgia in March. He was a major factor behind the Bulldogs earning their 15th consecutive NCAA bid this season.
Pinto, also a junior for State, possesses a near-perfect 3.98 grade point in banking & finance. Like, Girod, he was an ITA Scholar-Athlete and Academic all-SEC choice in 2004, and is also an MSU President's Scholar and member of Beta Gamma Sigma. He was MSU men's tennis' Newsom Award winner this season for holding the team's highest GPA.
The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native went 15-15 in singles this year, 9-8 in dual matches, and 6-5 in SEC competition. He was ranked top 100 nationally at one point during the year. He has also excelled in doubles. He teamed with Luiz Carvalho to reach the semifinals of the ITA All-American Championships, college's first major, in the fall. The tandem has been ranked as high as 10th nationally this year and qualified for the 2005 NCAA Doubles Championship being held this week in College Station, Texas.
"We are very proud of Florent and Jose-Carlos for these academic honors," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "It is always rewarding when our players excel both on and off the court, and both of them have done that this season."
As district honorees, Girod and Pinto will be nominated for ESPN The Magazine's 2005 Academic all-America At-Large Team, which will be released later this summer.