West Virginia’s Nathan Howells Named Big 12 Scholar-Athlete Of The Year

West Virginia University's Ross Glegg WVU reaches for the wall to win Men's 100-Meter Freestyle event Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, at the Orange Bowl Swimming Classic in Key Largo, Fla. West Virginia University won the men's division while Michigan placed first in the women's division. The event, staged at the Jacobs Aquatic Center, was the highlight of the winter collegiate swimming training season in the Florida Keys. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Stephen Frink/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)
Photo Courtesy: Stephen Frink

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Junior Nathan Howells of the West Virginia University swimming team was named the 2015-16 Big 12 Men’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year, announced on Thursday.

“It’s an honor for our program and Nathan (Howells),” said WVU coach Vic Riggs. “This is the program’s fourth Scholar-Athlete of the Year award since joining the Big 12 Conference, and we’re very proud of that. It’s a great tradition for our team to strive for each year.”

Majoring in biochemistry, Howells has maintained a 3.90 grade point average while balancing the commitment of being a Division I student-athlete.

Howells is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 Swimming and Diving Team honoree, representing with a 4.00 GPA in 2015 after also sporting a perfect GPA as a member of the 2014 Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team.

This marks the fourth Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the WVU swimming and diving team in the four years it has been in the Big 12. Liam McLaughlin earned the honor in 2012-13, and David Palley and Haily VandePoel were recognized in 2014-15.

The Big 12 Conference established its Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award in 2012-13. A recipient is named in each of the Conference’s sponsored sports. Each Big 12 institution nominates one individual per sport with the winners selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches for that sport, who are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.

The Scholar-Athlete must be a junior or senior (athletic and academic standing), have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher, participate in at least 60 percent of the team’s scheduled contests and reside at the institution for a minimum of one year.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter,Facebook and Instagram.

Press release courtesy of West Virginia University.

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