The Seattle University swim program placed 12 males and 12 females on the 2012 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) All-Academic Swim Teams, announced Thursday by conference executive director Al Beaird.
Seattle University had the most representatives for men's swimming among the nine teams, led by seniors Jordan Anderson (Newberg, Ore.), Keith Andrews (Hillsboro, Ore.), Eric Pedack (Snohomish, Wash.), and James White (El Cajon, Calif.). Juniors Tyler Carriker (Everett, Wash.), James Gilmore (Eugene, Ore.), Chris Lynch (Melbourne, Australia), and Joe Wertz (Richland, Wash.) were all honored for the second straight year. Sophomores Ali Abadi (Edmonds, Wash.), Nicolas Morrell (Bend, Ore.), Douglas Pizac (Salt Lake City, Utah), and Kieran Schaefer (Sweet Home, Ore.) also received the academic recognition from the conference.
On the women's side, five seniors were named for the second straight year: Hanna Basler (El Cajon, Calif.), Casey Hoffman (Federal Way, Wash.), Alexis Morehouse (Vancouver, Wash.), Tina Nguyen (Hillsboro, Ore.), and Connie Rae Shobaken (Tualatin, Ore.). Juniors Megan Kelley (Las Vegas, Nev.), Marina Pomar-Enders (Mill Creek, Wash.), Kevlyn Richards (Gig Harbor, Wash.), and Karla Ruff (Seattle, Wash.) also earned their second straight academic awards, with classmate Megan Robinson (Salt Lake City, Utah) joining sophomores Whitney Dean (Campbell, Calif.) and Nicole Doi (Pleasanton, Calif.) as first-time honorees.
To be eligible for MPSF All-Academic recognition, student-athletes must have a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade point average, must be at least a sophomore academically, must have completed one full academic year at their current school, and must have competed in at least 50 percent of the school's competitions within the current season. The conference listed 62 men and 111 women for 2012 All-Academic honors.
The Seattle University men's swim team will remain in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for the 2012-13 season, while the women's swim squad will head to the Western Athletic Conference effective July 1, 2012.