Three Cougar Swimmers Earn Honorable Mention All-American Honors

PROVO -- The BYU swim teams were among seven Mountain West Conference programs honored as Spring 2009 Team Scholar All-Americans, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) announced.

The women’s swim team claimed the accolade with a combined GPA of 3.31 while the men earned an overall 3.08 GPA to earn All-American recognition.

“One of the things we emphasize and take pride in our program is our academics,” said BYU head coach Tim Powers. “We have always been one of the top teams in the nation academically because that is our number one concern.”

CSCAA also named six MWC student athletes as 2009 Honorable Mention Scholar All-Americans. BYU represented the conference well with three swimmers making the list. Sophomores Christian Keil and Vytenis Slenys represented the men with junior Natasha Menezes on the women's list.

“Swimming is our icing on the cake while the real substance is the great education our athletes obtain here,” said Powers. “We realize there is life after swimming, but that just makes the college experience more enjoyable.”