Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Earn CSCAA All-Academic Honors
St. Louis, Mo., July 28, 2011 – The Washington University in St. Louis men’s and women’s swimming teams earned 2010-11 Team Scholar All-America honors, as announced by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
Additionally, the WU women’s swimming team saw freshman Chi Pham earn 2010-11 CSCAA individual Scholar All-America honors, and had five student-athletes receive honorable mention All-America recognition.Junior Chris Valach garnered individual Scholar All-America accolades for the WUSTL men's team.
The Washington U. women’s swimming team posted a 3.57 grade point average during the 2010-11 academic year, the fifth-highest team GPA in NCAA Division III. The WU men submitted a team GPA of 3.37, which ranked 18th in Division III. In order to qualify for the CSCAA Team Scholar All-America Award, a team must collectively hold a GPA of at least 3.00.
Pham boasted a 3.77 GPA during her first year at Washington University. She was an All-American in the 100-yard backstroke (fifth) and 200-yard individual medley (ninth) at the 2011 NCAA Division III Championships.
Earning honorable mention Academic All-America honors for the WUSTL women’s team was junior Amy Vanlishout, junior Karina Stridh, senior Karin Underwood, freshman Allison Siegel and senior Catherine Rafferty-Millett.
The CSCAA Scholar All-America teams are comprised of student-athletes who maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 and qualified to participate in their respective NCAA Championship Meet. The honorable mention Scholar All-Americans also posted a minimum GPA of 3.50, while posting an NCAA ‘B’ time standard during the 2010-11 swimming season relative to their NCAA qualifying standards.
The Washington U. men’s swimming team placed 16th at the 2011 NCAA Division III Championships, while the women’s team came in 24th overall. The squads had a total of eight student-athletes combine to total 18 All-America awards at the NCAA Championship Meet.