Swimming & Diving Teams Earn CSCAA Academic Accolades

CSCAA RELEASE

St. Louis, Mo., February 5, 2010 - The Washington University in St. Louis men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each earned College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar-Athlete All-America accolades, as announced Friday by the organization.

While a total of 341 intercollegiate swimming and diving teams across all three NCAA divisions garnered the Academic All-America award, each of the Washington University squads ranked not only near the top of NCAA Division III, but among the academic leaders nationally.

The WU women combined for a 3.53 cumulative grade point average in the fall 2009 semester, a mark that tied for second in Division III and tied for fourth among all NCAA levels of competition. The Washington U. men’s squad ranked fourth in Division III with a 3.42 team GPA, and it tied for fifth overall. Both teams ranked first among all University Athletic Association (UAA) schools that qualified for the award.

“I am very proud of what our teams have been able to accomplish both competitively and in the classroom,” head men’s and women’s swimming coach Brad Shively said. “Our program places a great deal of emphasis on striving to excel athletically and academically, and it is tremendous to see our student-athletes receive recognition for their hard work.”

In order to qualify for the CSCAA Scholar-Athlete All-America team, a program must have a combined GPA of 3.000 or higher. Division II University of Bridgeport women’s team led all programs with a 3.65 GPA in the fall semester, while Division III Oberlin University topped all men’s teams with a 3.59 GPA.

The Washington University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams return to action for the 2010 UAA Championships, to be held Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 17-20, in Atlanta, Ga.