NORFOLK, Va. – Proving that success in the classroom is equally important as success in the pool, 10 Bears, as well as both the Missouri State men and women's swimming and diving teams, earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors, announced Wednesday by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America.
 
"The consistency of academic success can be attributed to a culture of tradition of pride in achieving academic excellence, partnered with a wonderful set of resources provided to all of our student-athlete," head coach Dave Collins said. "I have always been equally proud of our continued academic success as much as anything we accomplish in the pool. Our staff takes pride in the fact that we are preparing our student-athletes for long-term success in life."
 
Joining two former Bears – Uvis Kalnins and Garrett Nevels – seven men and three women were named to the CSCAA Individual Scholar All-American squad. Uldis Tazans was the lone senior to represent the Bears while Kacper Cwiek, Christopher Heye and Phillip Willett showed for the junior class. Sophomores Michael Mollak, Nicholas Theunissen and All-American Artur Osvath were the remaining three men to earn Scholar-All America honors.
 
Becoming the first women in school history to earn the national recognition, senior Lauren Pavel and junior Sydney Zupan were named to the national squad after their outstanding performances in both the pool and the classroom. In addition to a stellar freshman season, Sarah Allegri became the first freshman in program history to be named to the Scholar All-American team.
 
"It is extremely gratifying to know our student-athletes not only excel in the pool, but are nationally recognized for their academic achievements as well," Missouri State athletic director Kyle Moats said. "This is attributed to recruiting quality individuals, our academic achievement staff, as well as our coaching staff placing an emphasis on excelling in both areas."
 
Ranking in the top 10 for the ninth consecutive semester, the men finished fourth in the nation with a 3.51 GPA for the 2017 spring semester. The Bears led all schools in the MAC and finished slightly behind three academically renowned institutions from The Ivy League – Harvard, Dartmouth and Brown.  
 
"Finishing the spring semester with the fourth-highest team GPA in the country is something I am very proud of," Collins proclaimed. "We had 41 percent of our men finish the semester with 4.0 GPA's. That is a pretty astonishing stat and says a lot about the type of dedication our student-athletes have."
 
The Missouri State women earned their highest finish since the fall of 2013, tying 36^th with an impressive 3.54 GPA. Following this semester's national recognition, the women have picked up CSCAA Scholar All-America Team laurels every semester since the fall of 2010.
 
"The women made a really nice jump this semester to bring up their team average that ended up exceeding the Dean's List (3.50)," Collins said. "This will hopefully be the baseline for us moving forward"
 
In order to receive CSCAA Scholar All-America Team honors, programs must obtain a 3.00 grade point average or higher over the 2017 spring semester. Individuals named to the Scholar All-America team must achieve a grade point average of 3.50 or higher and have participated in their respective NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. 
 
"Before expanding on what our program has achieved in the pool when talking with recruits, I always lead with the success that our student-athletes have had in the classroom," Collins added. "I like to read a recruits reaction to see if they will be a good fit. If the academic success does not appeal to them or generate a positive reaction, chances are they won't fit well within our program.
 
"Tradition, culture and environment are the factors that have extended this success past just one cycle of student-athletes. Academic success has become the expectation if you are a member of this program."