HOUSTON, Texas, July 2. THE Rice Owls posted the highest team grade point average for all Division I swimming & diving programs, the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) announced Thursday with its listing of the Spring 2009 Scholar-Athlete Teams. Owl swimmers Skylar Craig and Erin Mattson, who both set new school records in their respective events last season, were selected as CSCAA Honorable Mention Academic All-Americans.
The CSCAA identified some 347 men's and women's swim teams representing 238 colleges and universities with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. No women's (nor men's) program on the list had a higher GPA than Rice. The Owl swimmers, with 21 student-athletes on the 2008-09 roster, posted a Division I leading team GPA of 3.62.
Erin Mattson and Skylar Craig earned individual distinction from the coaches' organization as Honorable Mention Academic All-Americans. Craig was a senior psychology major who maintained a 3.59 grade point average before graduating in the spring. A native of Reno, Nev., Craig set new individual Rice records in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke. Mattson's GPA was 3.37 in ecology & evolutionary biology. The sophomore standout from Highland Village, Ill., provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in two events last season, highlighted with a new school record in the 200-butterfly.
Rice swimming is under the direction of head coach Seth Huston, who recently completed his seventh year at the helm of the program. The Rice swimmers were also successful at competing in the pool. The team won the Nebraska Cornhusker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., and finished third at the 2009 Conference USA Championship meet.
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