Swimming and diving teams earn national academic honor

The Olivet College men's and women's swimming and diving teams have been named to the 2007-08 College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-American team. In addition, sophomore Kellen Beckwith (Farmington Hills/North Farmington) and graduates Dustin Meisner (Temperance/Erie Mason) and Courtney Mich (Bay City/Western) have earned the CSCAA Individual Academic All-American Award.

To be eligible for the honor, the team must have a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA for either semester or the entire academic year. The women's team had a cumulative 3.57 grade point average (GPA) for the 2008 spring semester. The GPA was the second highest among all NCAA Division III women's programs. Mount Holyoke (Mass.) College was first with a 3.59 GPA. The men earned the honor after posting a cumulative 3.01 GPA for the fall semester.

To earn the Individual Academic All-American Award, an individual must have 3.50 or above GPA for the year and achieve a NCAA championships qualifying cut. All three Olivet swimmers posted a perfect 4.0 GPA for one of the semesters for the entire academic year.

Beckwith finished the academic year with a perfect 4.0 GPA and competed in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke at the 2008 NCAA Division III Championships. Meisner and Mich were honorable mention Academic All-American selections. Meisner had a 4.0 GPA for the entire academic year and achieved a provisional qualifying time in the 100-yard breaststroke. Mich finished the spring semester with a 4.0 GPA and had a provisional qualifying score on the one-meter diving board.