Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Deb Schaffer
Swimming and Diving teams earn Scholar All-America honors
2/16/2016 8:30:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving, S-A Development
The Grand Canyon men and women's swimming and diving teams have been named to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Teams for the Fall 2015 semester.
The women's swimming and diving team tied for the second-best GPA among NCAA Division I programs with a 3.63 team GPA during the fall. The men's team ranked 10th overall with a team GPA of 3.34.
"I am very proud of our athletes for their academic accomplishments as a team," head coach Steve Schaffer said. "They work hard at it. Our athletes come to GCU to succeed both athletically and academically so that they will leave with a degree that will pave the way to future success. We tell them at our first team meeting of the year that earning this award each semester is a team expectation despite their demanding training and competition schedules. We expect our athletes to work very hard at the pool and in the classroom."
This marks the 12th-straight semester that both the men and women's teams have received Scholar All-America recognition from the CSCAA.
"I know that I speak for our entire team in thanking our academic support staff, who do a great job of helping our athletes stay on track, keeping them accountable, and getting them tutoring help when necessary," Schaffer added. "The CSCAA recognition reflects their hard work as well as that of our athletes."
The announcement comes on the heels of last week's NCAA Convention. There, the topic of time demands on student-athletes was at the forefront. In an era where many are calling for more limitations on athletic commitments, CSCAA Executive Director Joel Shinofield was enthusiastic in his praise of swim teams.
"We really are fortunate to work with the best of the best," Shinofield said. "In reality, some would argue that swimmers and divers have some of the most demanding practice schedules, but we find that in most cases their athletic drive and academic goals simply reinforce one another."
Shinofield noted that the teams' GPAs were especially impressive given the rigorous course load taken by most swimmers. A recent survey of Division I programs showed that nearly one third of all male and over 40 percent of female swimmers and divers pursued degrees in the STEM fields.
To be selected as a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team, programs must have achieved a grade point average of 3.00 or higher over the fall semester.
The women's swimming and diving team tied for the second-best GPA among NCAA Division I programs with a 3.63 team GPA during the fall. The men's team ranked 10th overall with a team GPA of 3.34.
"I am very proud of our athletes for their academic accomplishments as a team," head coach Steve Schaffer said. "They work hard at it. Our athletes come to GCU to succeed both athletically and academically so that they will leave with a degree that will pave the way to future success. We tell them at our first team meeting of the year that earning this award each semester is a team expectation despite their demanding training and competition schedules. We expect our athletes to work very hard at the pool and in the classroom."
This marks the 12th-straight semester that both the men and women's teams have received Scholar All-America recognition from the CSCAA.
"I know that I speak for our entire team in thanking our academic support staff, who do a great job of helping our athletes stay on track, keeping them accountable, and getting them tutoring help when necessary," Schaffer added. "The CSCAA recognition reflects their hard work as well as that of our athletes."
The announcement comes on the heels of last week's NCAA Convention. There, the topic of time demands on student-athletes was at the forefront. In an era where many are calling for more limitations on athletic commitments, CSCAA Executive Director Joel Shinofield was enthusiastic in his praise of swim teams.
"We really are fortunate to work with the best of the best," Shinofield said. "In reality, some would argue that swimmers and divers have some of the most demanding practice schedules, but we find that in most cases their athletic drive and academic goals simply reinforce one another."
Shinofield noted that the teams' GPAs were especially impressive given the rigorous course load taken by most swimmers. A recent survey of Division I programs showed that nearly one third of all male and over 40 percent of female swimmers and divers pursued degrees in the STEM fields.
To be selected as a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team, programs must have achieved a grade point average of 3.00 or higher over the fall semester.
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