SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, August 21. POMONA-Pitzer's women's team and Washington University's (St. Louis) men headed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Academic All-American lists for the Winter-Spring 2007 semester, according to Sean Tedesco, chairman of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-American committee. But Washington & Lee, which ranked second among both the women and the men, took the overall crown.
Interestingly, the Division III leaders in all three categories posted the highest team GPAs among all three NCAA divisions plus the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the junior colleges.
In all, 66 men's teams and 81 women's teams in Division III earned team Academic All- American honors according to statistics released today by the CSCAA.
Division III Women
Pomona –Pitzer's first-year head coach Josh White greeted the news of his women's team's success – they posted a team GPA of 3.68 – with enthusiasm.
"That's great," he said, "but it's no surprise. They're a wonderful group of kids. I've seen how hard they work in the pool, so I'm not surprised they are equally committed in the classroom."
Pomona-Pitzer' men are no academic slouches either. With a GPA of 3.43, the guys ranked fifth nationally. Combined, Pomona-Pitzer finished second behind Washington & Lee, just nipping Colorado College for the runner-up spot, 3.555 to 3.554.
Division III Men
A team GPA of 3.64 made Washington University the academic men's champion in Division III, just edging Washington & Lee's 3.62 for the crown. Brad Shively pointed out that his team has a tradition of scoring among the top teams in the academic sweepstakes.
"Last year we had a 3.4, the year before that a 3.5, which put us first, but there's no way you can't be surprised with a 3.6," Shively said. "That is simply terrific. You know, when your team scores in the top ten at NCAAs, you get a rush. It's the same feeling with this performance. We have a flexible training schedule to accommodate academic demands. But when the team is in the pool, they are working very hard, just as they do in the classroom."
Division III Combined
Washington & Lee utilized "consistent excellence" to take the overall team title with a 3.626 grade point average. Joel Shinofield's women ranked second among the women with a 3.631 GPA while the men were also second with a 3.62, an achievement, he said, that "gives us a lot of pride."
"This – having a team GPA over 3.40 — was one of our team goals this year," said Shinofield, whose men also won the Bluegrass Mountain Conference crown for the fourth straight year and finished eighth at NCAAs. "But with a 3.6, the kids have raised the bar even higher".
NAIA and NJCAA
Only two schools in the NAIA and one junior college earned team Academic All- American honors. In the NAIA, the Cal Baptist University women, coached by Rick Rowlands, had the top GPA at 3.28, as the University of the Cumberlands, coached by Garry Nelson, was close behind at 3.23. The Cumberland men turned the tables in the men's standings, nipping CBU, 3.09 to 3.07.
In the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Scott Hunsinger's Genesee Community College men earned AAA honors with a 3.31 team average, while his women's team chalked up a 3.12 GPA
Top 10 Combined Div. III Teams
Below is a list of the Top 10 combined (men's and women's) teams. Placings are determined by averaging the ordinal ranking of the men's and women's squads. The complete list of NCAA Division III Academic All-American teams and individuals is posted on www.cscaa.org.
Top 10 Combined Teams: NCAA Division III
1. WASHINGON & LEE Coach Joel Shinofield 3.626
Men – 2nd, Women – 2nd.
2. POMONA-PITZER Coach Josh White 3.555
Men – 5th, Women – 1st
3. COLORADO COLLEGE Coach Anne Goodman-James 3.554
Men –3rd, Women – 8th
4. VASSAR Coach Lisl Prater-Lee 3.43
Men – 1th, Wmen – 3rd
5. OBERLIN Coach Mark Fino 3.42
Men – 10th, Women – 4th
6. MIT Coach Dawn Blue Gerken 3.45
Men – T 6th, Women – 12th
7. NYU Coach Lauren Bean (W) 3.45
Men – 9th, Women — T9th Coach Bob Sorensen (M)
8. MISERICORDIA Coach Jason Morini 3.445
Men – T 6th, Women – 14th
9. KENYON COLLEGE Coach Jim Steen 3.365
Men – 19th Women T 9th
10. MACALESTER COLLEGE Coach Bob Pearson 3.42
Men – 8th, Women – 21st
DIVISION III MEN
3.640 Washington University Brad Shively
3.620 Washington and Lee University Joel Shinofield
3.430 Pomona-Pitzer College Dr. Josh White
3.430 MIT Dawn Blue Gerken
3.430 College Misericordia Jason Morini
3.410 Macalester College Bob Pearson
3.410 New York University Bob Sorensen
3.290 Oberlin College Mark Fino
3.290 Vassar College Lisl Prater-Lee
3.280 Hamline University Paul Waas
3.280 Hiram College Jack Groselle
3.276 Emory University Jon Howell
3.276 Hendrix College Jim Kelly
3.260 Johns Hopkins University George Kennedy
3.250 Carleton College Andy Clark
3.250 Hope College John Patnott
3.240 Kenyon College Jim Steen
3.230 Claremont Mudd-Scripps Charlie Griffiths
3.220 Carthage College Greg Earhart
3.188 Lewis and Clark College Matt Sellman
3.183 Wesleyan University Mary Bolich
3.160 Wabash College Peter Casares
3.160 Ithaca College Kevin Markwandt
3.150 Dickinson College Paul Richards
3.150 Clark University Paul E. Phillips
3.140 Kalamazoo College Kathy Milliken
3.140 Baldwin-Wallace College Sara Gildea
3.140 Wittenberg University Natalie Koukis
3.130 Carnegie Mellon University Matt Kinney
3.110 Grinnell College Erin Hurley
3.100 Tufts University Adam Hoyt
3.100 Wheaton College (IL) Jon Lederhouse
3.090 Franklin and Marshall College Robert Rueppel
3.090 The University of Chicago Jason Weber
3.085 Transylvania University George Villarreal
3.070 Denison University J. Gregg Parini
3.060 Grove City College David C. Fritz
3.050 Occidental College Peggy Carl
3.020 Alfred University Brian Striker
3.020 St. Olaf College Dave and Bob Hauck
3.020 Westminster College Rob Klamut
3.019 University of Redlands Leslie Whittemore
3.010 Wheaton College (MA) JP Gowdy
3.002 Trinity College Kristen Noone
3.000 Austin College Philip Wiggins
3.000 Gustavus Jon Carlson
2.990 Olivet College Dave Stubbs
2.980 Salisbury University Jill Stephenson
2.970 Stevens Institute of Technology Trevor Miele
2.950 The University of Scranton Thomas D. Evans
2.940 Rowan University Tony Lisa
2.916 St. John's University Bill Saxton
2.911 Nazareth College Martie Staser
2.910 Luther College J. Hubelaol
2.910 Goucher College Thomas L. Till
2.880 Penn State Behrend Jen Wallace
2.878 Saint Mary's University Eric J. Lindquist
2.876 United States Coast Guard Academy John Westkott
2.870 St. Mary's College of MD Andre Barbins
2.860 Monmouth College Keith Crawford
2.820 U. S. Merchant Marine Academy Sean Tedesco
2.820 Wilmington College Trip Breen
2.815 Springfield College John Taffe
2.810 Oswego State Kami Gardner
DIVISION III WOMEN
3.680 Pomona-Pitzer College Dr. Josh White
3.631 Washington and Lee University Joel Shinofield
3.570 Vassar College Lisl Prater-Lee
3.550 Oberlin College Mark Fino
3.510 SUNY New Paltz Brian Williams
3.500 Stevens Institute of Technology Trevor Miele
3.500 University of New England Kate Roy
3.497 Colorado College Anne Goodman James
3.490 Kenyon College Jim Steen
3.490 NYU Lauren Beam
3.471 Ithaca College Paula Miller
3.470 MIT Dawn Blue Gerken
3.470 Carleton College Andy Clark
3.460 College Misericordia Jason Morini
3.456 Hendrix College Jim Kelly
3.450 Calvin College Dan Gelderloos
3.449 Emory University Jon Howell
3.441 Gustavus Jon Carlson
3.440 Alfred University Brian Striker
3.440 College of St. Benedict Kathy Walker
3.430 Macalester College Bob Pearson
3.430 Notre Dame (MD.) Curt Jordan
3.420 College of St. Catherine Nicole Hempler
3.420 Hamline University Paul Waas
3.410 St. Mary's College of MD Andre Barbins
3.410 Baldwin-Wallace College Sara Gildea
3.410 Regis College Mindy Williams
3.405 Nazareth College Martie Staser
3.400 Carthage College Susan Nutty
3.400 Goucher College Thomas L. Till
3.400 Wittenberg University Natalie Koukis
3.390 Grinnell College Erin Hurley
3.376 Wesleyan University Mary Bolich
3.374 McDaniel College Kim Easterday
3.370 The Catholic University of America Paul Van Lieshout
3.360 Wilmington College Trip Breen
3.360 Kalamazoo College Kathy Milliken
3.358 Trinity College Kristen Noone
3.350 Ohio Wesleyan University Richard Hawgs
3.340 Claremont Mudd-Scripps Charlie Griffiths
3.335 University of Redlands Leslie Whittemore
3.334 Lycoming College Jerry Hammaker
3.334 Olivet College Dave Stubbs
3.330 Hiram College Jack Groselle
3.330 Washington University Brad Shively
3.320 Tufts University Nancy Bigelow
3.300 Depauw University Mary Bretscher
3.300 Salisbury University Jill Stephenson
3.280 The University of Scranton Thomas D. Evans
3.270 Franklin and Marshall College Robert Rueppel
3.270 SUNY Geneseo Paul Dotterweich
3.270 Clark University Paul E. Phillips
3.262 Springfield College John Taffe
3.260 Carnegie Mellon University Matt Kinney
3.260 Luther College J. Hubelaol
3.250 Oswego State Kami Gardner
3.250 Denison University J. Gregg Parini
3.240 Rowan University Tony Lisa
3.220 Hope College John Patnott
3.217 Lewis and Clark College Matt Sellman
3.210 Westminster College Rob Klamut
3.205 Monmouth College Keith Crawford
3.201 Saint Mary's University Eric J. Lindquist
3.200 Dickinson College Paul Richards
3.190 St. Olaf College Dave and Bob Hauck
3.190 Johns Hopkins University George Kennedy
3.190 Austin College Philip Wiggins
3.180 Wellesley College Bonnie Dix
3.164 Washington College Kim Lessard
3.160 Wheaton College (MA) JP Gowdy
3.130 Occidental College Peggy Carl
3.110 Penn State Behrend Jen Wallace
3.110 Washington and Jefferson University Michael H. Orstein
3.102 Millersville University Kyle Almoney
3.096 Sewanee: The University of the South Max Obermiller
3.090 The University of Chicago Jason Weber
3.084 University of Mary Washington Matthew Kinney
3.048 United States Coast Guard Academy John Westkott
3.040 Randolph-Macon College Dave Holland
2.996 Transylvania University George Villarreal
2.910 UMASS Dartmouth Cathy Motta
NAIA MEN
3.280 California Baptist University Rick Rowland
3.210 University of the Cumberlands Garry Nelson
NAIA WOMEN
3.090 University of the Cumberlands Garry Nelson
3.070 California Baptist University Rick Rowland
NJCAA MEN
3.310 Genesee Community College Scott W. Hunsinger
NJCAA WOMEN
3.120 Genesee Community College Scott W. Hunsinger
Special thanks to the CSCAA for contributing this report.