ESSEX FELLS, N.J. — The 2013-14 academic accolades continued to pour in for the Alaska women's swimming team Friday, as juniors
Danielle Lyons (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan/Biological Sciences) and
Gabi Summers (Cheyenne, Wyo./Foreign Language) and freshman
Kathryn Pound (Pahiatua, New Zealand/Business Administration) received Scholar All-America recognitions from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.
Lyons and Summers were named Scholar All-Americans by virtue of earning at least a 3.5 grade point average during the spring semester while also competing at the 2014 NCAA Division II Women's Swimming Championships in March. Pound earned CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention honors for also earning at least a 3.5 GPA during the spring semester and swimming at least one NCAA "B" qualifying mark.
"It's incredibly important to our team to excel in the classroom," said Nanooks Head Coach
Scott Lemley. "Gaining national recognition nearly every single semester for having a team with one of the highest average GPAs in the country has been special.
"Beyond excelling in the classroom, we regularly have swimmers who excel equally well in the pool. It's one of the biggest challenges a college student-athlete will ever have – put in the time to be consistently great in class and make the commitment and have the talent to be great in the pool. These three girls will be the role models for our team next season."
Lyons and Summers were two of eight Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference student-athletes to earn CSCAA Scholar All-American awards. Pound was one of 11 additional PCSC swimmers to earn Honorable Mention honors.
The CSCAA Scholar All-America nod adds to the pile of awards Lyons has earned this year. Lyons, who posted a 3.69 GPA last spring, was named to the Capital One Academic All-American Division II At-Large First Team in June. She has made the Academic All-District team in back-to-back years and was a Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference All-Academic Team member in February. On top of being a two-time All-American at this year's NCAA Championships in the 200 and 800-yard freestyle relays, Lyons was also a three-time all-PCSC honoree in the 400 individual medley and the 200 and 800 free relays.
Summers, a 3.75 GPA student last spring, was a two-time NCAA All-American at this year's championships as well with contributions to All-America finishes in the 400 and 800 free relays. She was named to the PCSC All-Academic Team after earning six all-PCSC awards, including a runner-up finish in the 200 backstroke.
Pound, who carried a 3.80 GPA in the spring, was a three-time all-PCSC student-athlete this season with top-eight finishes in the 500 free, 1,000 free and 800 free relay. She swam NCAA "B" standard times in every freestyle event from the 200-yard distance and up (200, 500, 1,000, 1,650).
About the CSCAA: Founded in 1922, the CSCAA – the oldest organization of college coaches in America – is a professional organization of college swimming and diving coaches dedicated to serving and providing leadership for the advancement of the sport of swimming at the collegiate level.
