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NORFOLK, Va. – Both the Virginia Tech men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have been named Collegiate Swimming Coaches Associate of America Scholar All-Americans.

The award recognizes swimming and diving teams that achieve a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2015 fall semester. The H₂Okie men are among the 19 teams ranked in the CSCAA top 25 that achieved the award while the women are also currently receiving votes in the poll.

The women posted a team GPA of an impressive 3.34 while the men had a collective GPA of 3.08. As a team, the H₂Okies have earned this award from the CSCAA multiple times under the guidance of head coach Ned Skinner.

“We are proud of our student-athletes and their commitment in the classroom as well as the pool. Their hard work and determination to represent our school the right way is inspiring,” Skinner said.

CSCAA Executive Director Joel Shinofield was effusive in his praise, “We really are fortunate to work with the best of the best. In reality, some would argue that swimmers and divers have some of the most demanding practice schedules, but we find that in most cases their athletic drive and academic goals simply reinforce one another.”

This is evident in that over 70% of collegiate swimming and diving teams reported that they have at least one alumnus working in the c-suite. Over 70% of all Division I swimming and diving teams achieved GPA’s of 3.00 or higher including 21 Women’s and 19 Men’s teams in the current CSCAA/TYR Top 25.

“College swimming is a complete preparation for life, where our athletes see the results of goal-setting, perseverance and personal accountability,” said USA Swimming National Team Director Frank Busch. “These values that make swimmers successful in the pool are also what make them stand out in the classroom and become high achievers in their careers after college.”

Shinofield noted that the teams’ GPAs were especially impressive given the rigorous course load taken by most swimmers. A recent survey of Division I programs showed that nearly one third of all male and over 40% of female swimmers and divers pursued degrees in the STEM fields.

The Hokies will be back in the pool Feb. 6-7 for the Virginia Tech Invitational.

For updates on Virginia Tech swimming & diving, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_SwimDive