Richmond, VA - The Carson-Newman University men and women's swimming teams have been selected by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) as a Scholar All-America Team, as announced Tuesday.
To be eligible for the award honor, the team must have had a minimum of 11 participants submit their grades. C-N men's swimming held 31 participants, leading the team to an overall Fall 2021 GPA of 3.36. Meanwhile, C-N women's swimming saw 27 participants who turned in a team GPA of 3.58 during the fall semester for the honor.
In total, 728 teams from 450 colleges and universities earned the honor. Those with a GPA of 3.3 or higher will now become eligible for the Intercollegiate Coach Association Coalition All-Sport Academic Standings, meaning both C-N programs are eligible for these standings.
Greg Earhart, CSCAA Executive Director highlighted Carson-Newman's achievements noting, "Coach Taylor is one of our sports' up-and-comers and you're seeing it here. These 58 men and women are some of the best ambassadors that Carson-Newman and the Bluegrass Mountain Conference could ask for."
For Carson-Newman, they were joined by fellow Bluegrass Mountain Conference members Wingate, Queens (N.C.), Lenoir-Rhyne, and SCAD as those recognized as CSCAA Scholar All-American teams. Among Division II programs, Lenoir-Rhyne turned in a GPA of 3.80, tying Lees-McRae for the best mark for all Division II women's teams. The men's side was led by Missouri S&T who turned in a GPA of 3.68. This year's honors also mark the sixth straight season for C-N to be named a Scholar All-America Team under head coach Jordan Taylor.
"Our team always strives to be the best, working hard in the pool everyday and willing to go above and beyond," Taylor said. "This mentality crosses over to the classroom and as this crossover happens more and more, it has become a common thing on our program to have exceptionally high grades and no one wants to let the team down."
