Swimming and Diving Earns CSCAA Academic All-American Honors
10/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Oct. 23, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The College Swim Coaches Association of America announced its Academic All-American Teams and Individuals this week, and both the Alabama men and women earned the team honor and finished in the top 25 while 10 individuals earned All-American honors as well.
"This is a testament to how hard our student-athletes work in the pool and in the classroom," Alabama head coach Eric McIlquham said. "I'm extremely proud of our kids and the job they are doing in moving us forward in all aspects of this program."
As a team, Alabama's women were ranked 16th with a 3.45 GPA while the men were 25th with a 3.1 GPA.
To earn individual first team honors, an athlete must qualify to compete at the NCAA Championships and earn a 3.5 or better grade point average. To earn honorable mention honors, an athlete must earn an NCAA "B" standard and a 3.5 or better GPA.
Three Alabama swimmers earned first team honors, led by Ida Persson who earned a perfect 4.0 GPA for her rookie season and swam in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly at the NCAA Championships as well as a part of three relays. Brooke Baldi earned the honor for her sophomore season while Erin Sparks capped her Alabama career with first team honors.
Kate Shannon Gray also earned a 4.0 GPA for her freshman campaign, earning honorable mention All-American honors along with Allyson Angle, Elizabeth Hughes, Lauren Dunn, Nicole Roberts, Adam Booher and Sam Morgan.
Players Mentioned
