Swim Teams Rank High Academically

The Fairmont State men's and women's swim teams were recently honored by the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for their academic performance.

"I was really happy with how the team progressed this season in the pool. This academic recognition is another huge source of pride for the team," said Head Coach Pat Snively. "Typically, swimming and good grades go hand-in-hand. I think it has a great deal to do with developing time management skills. Of course, it is important for us to place a great deal of emphasis on the competitive side of students' college careers, but their coursework comes first and foremost."

For the spring 2005 semester, the Falcons women posted a 3.61 grade point average, while the men posted a 2.99 overall. The men were honored as an Academic All-American Team by the CSCAA for the second consecutive semester. The women's GPA put them at the top of the women's teams at the NCAA Division II level -- a feat they accomplished in the spring of 2003. The women tied with Gardner-Webb University (an NCAA Division I team) as the top academic team in the nation out of all divisions.

Freshman Geri Angelova paced the women with a 4.00. Carly Barbor, Michele Knicely and Rophe Woods had over 3.50 GPAs. Matej Tomas and Rod Hunte led the men with 3.60 GPAs. Josh Boyce, Joe Crowley, Howard Hunte and Lukas Siska also had GPAs of at least 3.20.

Sophomore Matej Tomas joined 312 other collegiate swimmers on the first team Academic All-American list with his 3.73 GPA total for the entire academic year. To qualify for the first team, a swimmer must swim at the National Championships (NCAA Division I, II or II, NAIA or NJCAA) and achieve a 3.5 GPA or higher. Tomas was able to do the same last season as a freshman.