ST. LOUIS - Missouri State swimming & diving had 14 student-athletes named to this season's Missouri Valley Conference Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete team, the league announced Friday morning. 

Sophia Coleta, Caitlyn Friebe, Evie Kolb, Lana Janson, Cabrini Johnson, Cameryn Johnson, Samantha Roemer and Olivia Sala represent the eight Bears on the women's team consisting of 85 student-athletes. 

Friebe, Kolb, Cameryn Johnson and Sala are named scholar-athletes for the first time in their careers. Coleta and Janson each make the scholar-athlete team for the second straight year. Fifth-year seniors Cabrini Johnson and Roemer make their third consecutive appearance on the team.

Little Rock led all women's teams with 16 scholar-athletes, followed by Indiana State (13), Southern Illinois (13), Illinois State (11), Missouri State (8), Northern Iowa (7), Evansville (6), Valparaiso (6) and UIC (5).

Chris Bedsole, Alex Boutin, Lucas Chadwell, Jack Grandy, Simeon Sabev and Bruno Suzuki-Tomiyama represent the six Bears on the men's team consisting of 34 student-athletes across The Valley.

All six Bears are familiar with academic accolades. Sabev made the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll eight times while at Delaware before joining Missouri State. Bedsole, Boutin, Chadwell, Grandy and Suzuki all made the Mid-American Conference All-Academic Team last year in the final season of the MAC sponsoring men's swimming & diving. Suzuki-Tomiyama made the MAC All-Academic Team in each of the previous two seasons.

Southern Illinois led all men's teams with eight scholar-athletes, followed by Miami (7), Missouri State (6), Ball State (5), UIC (3), Valparaiso (3) and Evansville (2).

To be eligible for the scholar-athlete team, one must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically while also holding a 3.5 cumulative GPA and making the all-conference team, a 3.7 cumulative GPA and earn a top 24 finish in an MVC Championship event or a 3.9 cumulative GPA and participate in the MVC Championships.

Southern Illinois' Olivia Herron and Willem Huggins have been named MVC Scholar-Athletes of the Year for the women's and men's teams, respectively.