Tuesday, July 26, 2011

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- The College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) named the Westminster College men's and women's swimming and diving teams as CSCAA Scholar All-America teams for the 2011 Spring semester.

The 2011 Spring semester marked the 42nd rating period out of 45 that the Westminster women's team has been honored by the CSCAA as a Scholar All-America team. Titan men's team was also honored for the 22nd time.

The Titan women compiled a 3.24 cumulative team grade-point average to meet the 3.0 minimum team GPA to earn recognition. The Titan men earned a 3.07 team GPA.

In addition, there were three Titans who earned individual recognition. Senior Courtney Herdt (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) and junior Caitlin Lehberger (New Wilmington, Pa./Wilmington)  of the women's team were named CSCAA Scholar All-Americans and junior Mark Brooks (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman) of the men's team received an honorable mention for the CSCAA Scholar All-America team. 

To be selected for the Scholar All-America team, a swimmer must qualify for the NCAA Championships and achieve at least a 3.5 GPA. Herdt and Lehberger each qualified for nationals while posting GPAs of 3.57 and 3.75, respectively. To earn an honorable mention, a swimmer must have at least a 3.5 GPA and achieve a time that earned consideration for the NCAA meet by meeting the "B cut" provisional qualifying standard. Brooks logged a 3.5 GPA.

Led by 26th year head coach Rob Klamut, the Westminster men's swimming and diving team placed third in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championships, while the Titan women placed third in the PAC and 13th at the NCAA Division III Championships thanks to All-America finishes by Herdt and Lehberger.

About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Forbes.com. Westminster is a top tier liberal arts college, a national leader in graduation rate performance, and a "Great School, Great Price," according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 38th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 373 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.