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Swimmers Are Academic All-Americans
The men's and women's swim teams not only make an impact in the water, but in the classroom.
For the 15th time in the history of the program, the Shorewomen earned Academic All-American status. The College Swim Coaches Association of America also recognized the men's team with Academic All-American status and gave honorable mention to junior John Evans.
The female swimmers made school history last February, as they became just the second women's varsity athletic team to post an undefeated season. Their All-American distinction was based on the Shorewomen's cumulative spring grade point average of 3.15.
For an individual to earn Academic All-American Honorable Mention status, he must swim an NCAA "B Cut" qualifying time and carry at least a 3.5 grade-point average. On the men's side Evans posted a 3.9 grade point average in 2001-02. The previous year, he posted a perfect 4.0 grade point average and competed in the NCAA Division III National Championships.
The men won an Academic All-American team award with a 3.13 cumulative grade point average last spring. This marks the 13th time that the Shoremen have earned the honor.
"We are very proud of our continued success both in the classroom and in the pool," says Coach Kim Lessard. The men and women's swim teams are great examples of student-athletes. Last year our team was able to budget their commitment to their team, focus of having an undefeated season and also put in the time needed to excel in their academics. Many of these swimmers are training three to five hours a day to meet their goals in the pool. They are also carrying very hard class loads."
Lessard points to former swimmers now pursuing post-graduate studies and careers in medicine, law, and other fields. "The time management skills they learned from being so dedicated and committed to their academic and athletic achievements have helped them succeed in their pursuits after college. We have had two alumnae go on to compete in the Ironman athletic competition in Hawaii: Dr. Kasey Carroll Basso '92 and Danielle Sullivan '98. Both women trained four to five hours a day while swimming competitively and were able to do well academically."
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