July 3, 2016 LMU Swim on Facebook | | LMU Swim on Instagram
The College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) recently announced its Scholar All-American Teams for Spring 2016, and LMU Swimming ranked tied for 104th on the list amongst 172 Division I women's swimming and diving programs with a team GPA of 3.34.
A total of 658 swimming and diving teams, representing 388 colleges and universities, were lauded as Scholar All-America teams. The recognition comes as a result of each team's classroom performance in the past semester. It is only the second time in the program's 30+ year history that more than 600 teams were selected.
CSCAA Scholar All-America Teams
"This is a welcome change to the headlines that have dominated intercollegiate athletics in recent weeks." explained CSCAA executive director Joel Shinofield, "In reality, however, this is what we've come to expect in our sport." Shinofield singled out Division I programs, of which eighty percent earned GPA's of 3.0 or better. "These programs are the incubators of our Olympic success and they compete at the highest level at some of our most prestigious institutions," he explained. "The hard work and dedication they learn at the pool translates directly to their success in the classroom and beyond regardless of division."
Shinofield noted that the teams' GPAs were especially impressive given the rigorous course load taken by most swimmers. A recent survey of Division I programs showed that nearly 40% of all female and over one-third of male swimmers and divers pursued degrees in the STEM fields.
To be selected as a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team, programs must have achieved a grade point average of 3.00 or higher over the Spring semester. Top teams were recognized for both large teams (more than 22 women or 21 men) and small.
