Wittenberg Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving teams gather in a huddle before a meet
Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University's men's and women's swimming and diving teams made waves both in and out of the pool during the 2006-07 school year. These dedicated student-athletes spent most of the season ranked in the national NCAA Division III polls in recognition of their athletic prowess, and they recently earned accolades from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for their academic performance.
The Tiger women posted a 3.40 team grade point average (GPA) to earn a 2006-07 CSCAA Team Academic Award with a "Superior" rating. The Tiger men posted a team GPA of 3.14 to earn a CSCAA Team Academic Award with an "Excellent" rating. The award honors men's and women's swimming and diving teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 2.80 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale.
"It takes great dedication to be a success as a swimmer and as a student in college," said Wittenberg Head Coach Natalie Koukis, who has led the Tiger women to third place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships each of the last two years, the best finishes ever for the program. "Student-athletes must budget their time and organize themselves well to meet the challenges of both schoolwork and collegiate athletics.
"I'm very proud of the fact that the student-athletes in this program can reach a high level of achievement in both areas."
In addition, Jen Mulligan, class of 2007, earned individual academic honors from the CSCAA. She posted a 3.67 GPA during the second semester of her senior year and achieved an NCAA Division III B Cut time in the 200-yard backstroke to earn coaches association Academic All-America honors.
The Tigers opened the 2007-08 season on Oct. 20 in the annual NCAC Relays, hosted by Kenyon College, and then split a dual meet with visiting arch-rival Wooster on Oct. 27. Wittenberg's men, off to a 1-2 start in the early going of the 2007-08 dual meet season, are back in action Friday at Wabash. The Tiger women are 2-1 and have the week off before both teams return to action Friday, Nov. 16, in the HPER Center Natatorium against Ohio Northern.