July 28, 2011

CSCAA honors Grove City swim teams

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The College Swimming Coaches Association of America recently honored Grove City College's men's and women's swimming and diving teams with the Association's Scholar All-American Team Award.

The Team Award is presented to teams who achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the spring semester. Grove City's women's swimming and diving team compiled an overall 3.27 GPA this spring and the men's team achieved a 3.02 overall GPA.

The CSCAA also honored six Grove City swimmers through the Association's Scholar All-America program. Recent graduate Sarah Page (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pine Creek) and rising junior Angela Palumbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) both earned Scholar All-America honors, which are presented to swimmers who compete at the NCAA Championships while also achieving a 3.50 GPA or higher during the semester of competition.

Page earned a 3.68 GPA in spring 2011 while majoring in chemistry. She earned NCAA All-America honors in the 200 free relay, 400 free relay and 200 medley relay at the 2011 NCAA Championships in Knoxville, Tenn.

A mathematics major, Palumbo achieved a 3.71 GPA last spring. She earned All-America distinction in the 200, 400 and 800 free relays, along with the 200 medley relay. Palumbo is the most-decorated performer in Grove City women's swimming history as she owns nine All-America citations.

Four Grove City swimmers earned Scholar All-America Honorable Mention, which is given to student-athletes who provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championships and achieve a 3.50 GPA or higher: recent graduate Lauren Baur (North Wales, Pa./North Penn), rising senior Kate Wilt (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte), rising senior Clay Beckner (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) and rising junior Eric Fairchild (Corry, Pa./Corry).

Baur posted a 3.78 GPA last spring and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200 free relay. Wilt, a mathematics/biology double major, earned a 3.81 GPA in spring 2011. She provisionally qualified for the national championships in both the 200 and 400 medley relays.

Beckner achieved a 3.82 GPA while majoring in accounting. He provisionally qualified for the 2011 NCAA Championships in the 100 breaststroke. Fairchild earned a 3.81 GPA as a mathematics major in spring 2011. Fairchild helped Grove City's 800 free relay team provisionally qualify for the NCAA meet.