NORFOLK, Va. — Both the Penn State men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were among a record 638 teams, representing 394 institutions, to have been named College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Teams.
The awards are in recognition of teams’ that achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2016 fall semester.
The Nittany Lion women posted a team GPA of 3.41, which ranks above the national average for collegiate women’s swimming (3.336) and third in the Big Ten. All 13 Big Ten teams that sponsor women’s swimming were Scholar All-America teams.
The Nittany Lion men posted a team GPA of 3.02 to join six additional Big Ten teams for the honor.
Ninety-one additional teams and 36 more institutions achieved the honor compared to a year ago.
Part of the reason for the increase in award-winning teams is the overall growth of the sport. The number of men's and women's institutions sponsoring swimming and diving is at a 10-year high. The sport is also enjoying a bump in participation that has traditionally followed Olympic years.
"College swimming and diving has never been more competitive, and yet over 80 percent of our Division I member teams and nearly 80 percent of all teams in the top 25 are also Scholar All-America teams," said CSCAA Executive Director Joel Shinofield.
In total, 73 percent of all CSCAA member programs posted GPA's above 3.00, with 91 percent of Division I women's teams meeting the mark. Women's teams averaged a 3.336 GPA with men slightly behind at 3.22. Iona College's women led all Division I programs with a 3.68, while Grand Canyon University led all Division I men's teams with a 3.68.
Founded in 1922, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) — the oldest organization of college coaches in America — is a professional organization of college swimming and diving coaches dedicated to serving and providing leadership for the advancement of the sport of swimming and diving at the collegiate level.