COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) has named the University of Tampa men’s and women’s swimming teams to its Scholar All-America team for the Spring 2019 Semester.  A record 480 institutions were named to the list, highlighted by St. Andrews’s women’s GPA of 3.35.
 
CSCAA Executive Director Greg Earhart noted: “Coach Kiner has built a program that is a model of success in the pool and classroom.”

Head coach Jimi Kiner not only led his men’s and women’s teams to 15th and fifth place finishes at the 2019 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships in Indianapolis as his men posted a 3.3 GPA while the women came in at 3.37.
 
A record number of teams achieved Scholar All-America status in each NCAA Division with men’s teams seeing the biggest gains.  The increase can be attributed to the growing number of men’s teams.  “For three years now, we’ve seen schools add more men’s teams than women’s,” explained Earhart, “and now we’re seeing those new teams produce the caliber of student-athlete we’ve come to expect in swimming and diving.”
 
At 3.45, the median GPA among women’s teams was the highest on record.  The men’s median (3.23) was down slightly from the Fall semester.
 
For the third time in its history Emmanuel College led all Division II programs, earning a 3.80 for the Semester and making head coach Allen Gilchest proud.  “Our women continue to represent Emmanuel in the pool and the classroom in a positive and professional way with hard work and dedication to their teammates and college. I am proud and amazed by them.”  The Bluegrass Mountain Conference placed nine teams on the honor roll, one more than the Great Lakes Valley Conference.  In total, eighty-three teams met the mark, four more than last Fall’s record of seventy-nine.

The University of Bridgeport led the men’s Division II rankings for the second consecutive semester.  Regrettably, the Purple Knights won’t be able to go for a third as the University eliminated swimming following this year’s NCAA Championships.  “With the program being dropped this past season,” explained head coach Doc Ludemann, “I am extremely excited for our athletes. This is certainly a special honor”.  In total, fifty-three men’s teams were selected and like the women, the Bluegrass Mountain Conference led the way with nine selections, one more than the GLVC.
 
The CSCAA will announce its individual Scholar All-Americans next week.

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About the CSCAA
Founded in 1922, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) – the first 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.