PROVO, Utah – Men’s and women’s swim and dive teams of BYU were awarded Scholar All-America honors by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
The CSCAA Executive Director, Joel Shinofield, credits the coaches with much of the achievement. He said, “Our coaches understand that the essence of intercollegiate athletics is the experience each student- athlete receives, and an emphasis on academics reflects what coaches feel is most important.”
In order to receive this academic recognition, programs must achieve a grade-point average of 3.00 or higher over the fall semester.
The BYU women’s team ended the Fall 2016 semester with a combined 3.21 grade-point average, while the men’s team followed with a cumulative GPA of 3.05. Such high grades are especially impressive, considering that swimmers and divers put in an average of 20 hours per week for their sport and are all full-time students.
“The men’s and women’s swim and dive teams have consistently been Academic All-American, year in and year out,” head swim coach John Brooks said. Not every team has that kind of record! Way to go again to the Cougars!"
Although the life of an athlete is rigorous and demanding, the swimmers and divers at BYU have found a way to balance their training and studies, while excelling in both areas.