RICHMOND, Va. – The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) celebrated academic excellence among its members by announcing the Spring Scholar All-America Team Awards on Monday (June 26). St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s and women’s swim teams emerged among the esteemed recipients, both earning a place in the coveted 714 teams recognized for their commendable academic performance in Spring 2023.
Click for the complete list of CSCAA Scholar All-America Team Award winners
This announcement added another feather to St. Mary’s cap, marking the women’s team’s 11th and the men’s team’s 8th Scholar All-America Team awards, respectively. The accolades were gathered during the seven-year tenure of Head Coach Casey Brandt and underscored the high academic standards maintained by the Division III squads, of which St. Mary’s teams are a part.
The distinction, awarded twice a year by the CSCAA for fall and winter semesters, is a testament to the teams that have secured a 3.0 GPA or higher. As such, both the St. Mary’s Seahawk women’s and men’s teams accomplished this feat by posting a team grade-point average (GPA) of 3.37 and 3.29, respectively, during the Spring 2023 semester. The recognition followed their earlier success when they also won the Fall Scholar All-America Team Award for achieving a 3.0 or higher GPA during the Fall 2022 semester.
Former Atlantic East Conference institutions Cabrini University and Gallaudet University joined St. Mary’s in the academic triumph. The men’s teams from these three institutions were recognized for their GPAs of 3.41, 3.29, and 3.16, respectively. On the women’s side, Cabrini University, with a GPA of 3.44, St. Mary’s College (3.37 GPA), and Gallaudet University (3.00 GPA) cut the awards, demonstrating academic strength and prowess in the pool.
The CSCAA, established in 1922, is the nation’s first organization of college coaches. With a mission to advance the sports of swimming and diving, the CSCAA places coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development. The Scholar All-America Team Awards are a testament to this mission, rewarding athletes’ academic prowess while underlining their coaches’ significant role in guiding them to such achievements.
As St. Mary’s College swim teams bask in the glory of their academic success, the accolades provide a notable nod to the institution’s commitment to maintaining high academic standards alongside athletic excellence. It also underscores the critical role their coach, Casey Brandt, played in fostering an environment conducive to academic and athletic growth, marking another victorious chapter in his noteworthy seven-year tenure.