RENO, Nev. – The College Swimming Coaches Association of America has honored the University of Nevada swimming and diving team with Scholar All-American status for the spring semester of 2013.
The award, announced by the CSCAA on Thursday, is awarded to college and university swimming and diving teams, who have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. The award is presented twice annually, once in the fall semester/term and in the semester/term of the NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA Swimming and Diving Championships (Winter/Spring). Nevada’s spring cumulative GPA was a 3.26. The team was also honored in the fall with a GPA of 3.10.
“Our athletics director and department truly prioritize academics,” head coach Abby Steketee said. “Nikita Amy, our academic advisor, has done a wonderful job helping our student-athletes flourish in the classroom. In this first season together, our coaching staff worked very hard to establish a culture of accountability, discipline, and effort. Having two consecutive semesters of Scholar All-American status shows that we’re moving in the right direction. We are building a program in which our student-athletes don’t just survive academics but fully invest themselves in the classroom.”
Additionally, Mengjiao (Jojo) Mi was named to the Scholar All-American First Team. The Scholar All-American award is presented to college and university swimmers and divers, who have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher, for the semester or cumulative average, and have qualified for and competed at their respective national championship.
“JoJo has led the way in our team’s pursuit of excellence in academics and athletics,” Steketee said. “Her goals last fall were to qualify for the NCAA Championships and earn a 3.5 grade point average. She accomplished both of those goals and is currently training with the Chinese National Team in Australia and hopes to start her Master’s degree in Community Health in the Fall of 2014. JoJo is proof that the University of Nevada provides student-athletes the opportunity to pursue greatness in and out of the pool.”
