Alabama Women, Yale Men Reign As Smartest Division I Swimming/Diving College Teams in USA

PHOENIX, Arizona, March 7. YALE University holds on to its title as the smartest men’s swimming and diving Division I university in the United States, while Alabama claimed that distinction in the women’s rankings of the top teams in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America’s Team Scholar All-American list for fall 2013. The CSCAA ranked schools in all three NCAA divisions, as well as the NAIA and junior college divisions.

A team is recognized in the CSCAA list of Scholar All-Americans if the cumulative grade point average is 3.0 or better.

As they did in the fall 2012 semester, Yale beats out Ivy League rival Harvard with a collective grade point average of 3.62 to 3.41. For Yale, it’s a higher GPA than the 3.57 they posted in fall 2012, while Yale drops slightly from the 3.48 GPA in fall 2012.

Alabama was second in the fall 2012 rankings to North Texas, but jumps to the top of the mountain with a 3.60 in the fall 2013 semester, slightly higher than the 3.57 the Crimson Tide averaged in fall 2012. North Texas fell to a three-way tie for second in this recent ranking with a 3.55 GPA.

Grand Canyon University made a strong debut into Division II, placing both of its teams in the top five. The men’s team ranked in a tie for fifth (with Southern Illinois and in-state rival Northern Arizona) with a 3.36 GPA while the women’s team tied for second with Southern Illinois with a 3.55 GPA.

In the women’s Division I list, 148 schools made the cut, with reigning NCAA swimming and diving champion Georgia placing 42nd. On the men’s side, reigning champ Michigan sits 17th out of 69 teams

Division I Men top 10
1. Yale. 3.62
2. Harvard: 3.41
3. American: 3.39
4. Gardner-Webb: 3.38
5. Grand Canyon: 3.36
5. Northern Arizona: 3.36
5. Southern Illinois: 3.36
8. Missouri State: 3.35
9. Xavier: 3.33
10. Florida International: 3.32
10. Denver: 3.32

Division I Women top 10
1. Alabama: 3.60
2. Grand Canyon: 3.55
2. Southern Illinois: 3.55
2. North Texas: 3.55
5. Boise State: 3.54
5. Wagner College: 3.54
7. Ball State: 3.52
7. Fresno State: 3.52
9. Drexel: 3.51
9. Illinois State: 3.51
9. Iona College: 3.51
9. Toledo: 3.51

In the NCAA Division II ranking, two schools that were not in the fall 2012 ranking took the top spots in the men’s and women’s lists this past semester. In the men’s ranking, Urbana scored a 3.81 GPA, the highest among all divisions, while Lynn University claimed a team GPA of 3.71 to beat out other Division II schools. Urbana, Bridgeport and Saint Leo each scored teams in the top 10 in the men’s and women’s lists, with Bridgeport ranking both teams in second place. Fifty-eight women’s teams earned grade point averages of 3.0 or better, while just 25 men’s teams made the cut in Division II.

Division II Men top 10
1. Urbana: 3.81
2. Bridgeport: 3.45
3. Lenoir-Rhyne: 3.42
4. Tampa: 3.36
5. Fresno Pacific: 3.35
6. Rollins: 3.32
6. Indianapolis: 3.32
8. Nova Southeastern: 3.28
9. Lindenwood: 3.26
9. Saint Leo: 3.26

Division II Women top 10
1. Lynn: 3.71
2. Bridgeport: 3.69
3. Queens University of Charlotte: 3.60
4. Saint Leo: 3.54
4. College of Saint Rose: 3.54
6. Urbana: 3.53
7. Gannon: 3.52
8. LIU-Post: 3.51
9. Northern State: 3.50
10. Shippensburg 3.49

The two Division III teams that ranked No. 1 for the fall 2013 semester made big strides in one year. Principia College, which was 10th in the men’s fall 2012 with a 3.33 GPA, takes the top spot in fall 2013 with a 3.57 GPA. On the women’s side, Whitworth leapfrogged from 37th in 2012 (3.40 GPA) to first in 2013 (3.69 GPA). Pomona-Pitzer was the only school in Division III to score in the top 10 for its men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, with 121 women’s teams and 76 men’s teams making the list.

Division III Men top 10
1. Principia College: 3.57
2. Swarthmore College: 3.50
2. Pomona-Pitzer: 3.50
4. Hiram College: 3.44
4. Sewanee: The University of the South: 3.44
6. Colorado College: 3.43
7. Ripon College: 3.42
8. Washington and Lee: 3.41
8. Chicago: 3.41
10. Stevens Institute: 3.40

Division III Women top 10
1. Whitworth: 3.69
2. Emory & Henry College: 3.66
3. Messiah College: 3.62
3. Pomona-Pitzer: 3.62
5. Luther College: 3.61
6. Emory: 3.59
7. King’s College: 3.58
8. New England: 3.57
9. Rochester: 3.56
10. Arcadia: 3.55

Only six women’s teams in the NAIA and NJCAA ranks scored 3.0 or higher:

NAIA/NJCAA Women
1. College of Saint Mary: 3.61
2. Savannah College of Art and Design: 3.27
3. Morningside College: 3.22
4. Union College: 3.14
5. Concordia University-Irvine: 3.13
6. Indian River Community College: 3.10

Among the many NAIA and NJCAA swimming teams in the country, Savannah College of Art and Design was the only team to meet the CSCAA criteria, scoring a cumulative 3.18 GPA in fall 2013.

Click here to see full Division I list

Click here to see full Division II list

Click here to see full Division III list

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