Jan. 27, 2016
NORFOLK, Va. – Penn State's 20th-ranked women's swimming and diving team and its men's team were both named College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Teams for the 2015 fall semester, the CSCAA announced Wednesday.
The awards are in recognition of teams' that achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2015 fall semester. Over 70% of all Division I swimming and diving teams achieved GPA's of 3.00 or higher including 21 women's and 19 men's teams in the current CSCAA/TYR Top 25.
The nationally-ranked Nittany Lion women earned a 3.40 team grade point average, while the men earned a 3.00.
Five hundred and forty-seven swimming and diving teams representing 354 colleges and universities achieved the 3.00 standard. That is up 40 teams from the previous fall semester.
On the women's side within the Big Ten, 12 of the 13 women's swimming programs were recognized. Penn State ranked in a tie for third with Michigan at 3.40, while Northwestern edged both with a 3.41 and Nebraska led the league with a 3.58. A total of 149 women's teams in Division I made the cut.
On the men's side, all 10 of the Big Ten teams achieved a 3.00 to comprise nearly an eighth of the 83 Division I programs recognized.
CSCAA Executive Director Joel Shinofield was effusive in his praise, "We really are fortunate to work with the best of the best. In reality, some would argue that swimmers and divers have some of the most demanding practice schedules, but we find that in most cases their athletic drive and academic goals simply reinforce one another."
Founded in 1922, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) – the oldest organization of college coaches in America - is a professional organization of college swimming and diving coaches dedicated to serving and providing leadership for the advancement of the sport of swimming & diving at the collegiate level.
The Penn State men will swim at Navy along with Columbia Friday starting at 2 p.m. Both teams will be in action again in McCoy Natatorium Saturday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m.