California’s Ryan Murphy was named the Pac-12 Men’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2016-17 season, the Conference office announced on Tuesday. The award, which is presented in each of the 23 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.
Murphy, a business administration major who boasts a 3.54 GPA, has been a mark of consistency for the Golden Bears over the course of his career. He is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and is the current world record holder in the 100-meter backstroke after emerging as one of the stars of Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He is a six-time NCAA individual champion, having won the 100 and 200-yard backstroke each year he has competed, and also owns four NCAA relay titles. He is the two-time defending Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year, he is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection and, in 2016, was named a first team at-large Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Murphy and the Golden Bears will compete on March 1-4 at the Pac-12 Men’s Swimming Championships in Federal Way, Wash. Tickets to attend the event can be purchased here.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 23 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling.
Also Nominated: Tyler Fowler, ARIZ; Richard Bohus, ASU; Tom Kremer, STAN; Michael Domagala, USC; Josiah Purss, UTAH.
Press release courtesy of the Pac-12 conference.
