Tampa Swimming Teams Receive Academic Honors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The University of Tampa men's and women's swimming teams were both recognized for their success in the classroom as the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) has selected a record 713 teams from 460 institutions to the Scholar All-America Team for the Fall 2018 semester. The teams were selected by the CSCAA's Scholar All-America committee on the basis of their Fall grade point averages and represent 16,502 student-athletes.

The UT men's team, also ranked No. 4 in the nation, achieved a GPA of 3.32 in the fall semester. The Spartans held the nation's 15th-best GPA in the fall. The No. 6 Tampa women's team boasted a GPA of 3.41 in the fall semester, ranking 43rd in terms of cumulative team GPA for the term.

Thirty-three teams achieved Scholar All-America status for the first time, reflecting the continued growth of swimming and diving.  "The narrative is that swimming and diving is on the decline, but in reality, colleges and universities have added 100 teams since 2015," according to CSCAA Executive Director Greg Earhart.  "Presidents and athletic directors recognize that swimmers and divers are excellent students and ambassadors for their institutions."

Liberty University (Division I) had the highest GPA of all women's teams. The Flames earned an average GPA of 3.79. Among men's programs, MIT (Division III) took the top spot with a 3.78. 

Women's divisional leaders included Biola (3.72) and Saint Catherine's (3.75) in Division II and III respectively. SCAD-Savannah (3.61) and Indian River (3.45) were tops among NAIA and NJCAA women's programs. 

For the men, Grand Canyon (3.68) repeated last Fall's ranking as the top Division I men's program.  In Division II Bridgeport led the way with a 3.72.  Like the women, SCAD-Savannah's men (3.48) were number one among NAIA programs.  Iowa Central (3.10) topped the NJCAA.  

Teams excelled both in the school and the pool with 89% of teams in the CSCAA TYR Top 25 earning the honor.  Those teams included the top-ranked California men (3.05), Texas women (3.55), Queens (NC) women (3.63), Indianapolis men (3.34) and Denison men (3.26) and women (3.31). 

To earn the honor, teams were required to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the Fall Semester and maintain a roster of 12 or more student-athletes. 

Members of the CSCAA Scholar All-America Committee include Paul Richards, Chair (Dickinson), Brent Summers (Willamette), Gwynn Harrison (Bridgewater), Hollie Bonewit-Cron (Miami-OH), Jason Hite (Indianapolis), Jonathan Jordan (Lincoln College), Jerod Simek (Truman State), Milania Socha (Dartmouth), Nikki Rosen (Davis & Elkins), RC Weston (Alfred State).

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. 

For more information on the Scholar All-America and see a list of award recipients from all divisions, click here.