Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University's women's swimming and diving team recently earned a 2011 College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Team award after posting a sterling 3.16 cumulative team grade point average.

The award annually honors teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.0 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale. Wittenberg was one of 93 NCAA Division III teams to earn the award in 2011.

"It is a tremendous challenge for students to effectively balance schoolwork and collegiate athletics, which makes this award so significant," said Head Coach Natalie Koukis. "I'm very proud of the fact that the student-athletes in this program continually reach a high level of achievement in both areas."

Wittenberg finished the 2010-11 season with an 8-5 dual meet record before taking fifth place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship meet in February. Molly Gustafson, class of 2014 from West Hartford, Conn., went on to earn All-America honors after qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships in March.

The Tigers open the 2011-12 season on Oct. 22 at an annual relay meet hosted by Kenyon College. The dual meet portion of the schedule opens at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, with a trip to compete against NCAC rival Ohio Wesleyan, followed by a visit by arch-rival Wooster at 1 p.m. the next day.