27 Swimmers Selected To Division 1 Capital One Academic All-American Team

The Capital One All-American Team was released this week as selected by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America. CoSIDA breaks the U.S. and Canada into 8 geographically-based districts to compile the All-District Teams. All athletes honored with first team All-District status go into consideration for the Academic All-America first, second, and third teams.

Each school’s Sports Information Director nominates athletes, who must have a class standing of sophomore or higher, have a cumulative GPA of 3.3  higher and either be a “varsity starter or key reserve.” Capital One sponsors the All-District and All-America teams. These teams are made up of athletes from across the range of different sports. There are All-District and All-American teams for Division I, Division II, Division III and the College Division (made up of NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools).

The Capital One Academic At-Large team consists of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo, bowling (women), crew (women) and field hockey (women), volleyball (men), and wrestling  (men). The other sports have their own academic all-american teams, while swimming and diving is lumped into the At-Large category. The college division is made up of NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions.

Wisconsin’s Nick Caldwell, Florida’s Brad deBorde, Michigan’s Connor Jaeger, and Grand Canyon’s Ivan Nechunaev were all Academic All-American first team selections. For the women, Florida’s Elizabeth Beisel, Standford’s Maya DiRado, Notre Dame’s Emma Reaney, and Georgia’s Laura Ryan were selected to the Academic All-American first team.

Connor Jaeger earns first team honors this year after earning second team honors during his 2013 season. Brad deBorde was a member of the Academic All-American teams in both 2012 (2nd team) and 2013 (3rd team).

This will be Elizabeth Beisel’s third consecutive year as a member of the Academic All-American First team.

Nick Caldwell:

A Sarasota, Florida, native with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. in chemistry, Caldwell is a member of the U.S. Men’s Swimming team. After transferring from Florida, the senior set three Big Ten records this year in the 200-, 1,000- and 1650-yard freestyle events this season. A second team All-Big Ten honoree, he swam the second-fastest time in school history at the Big Ten Championships in the 500 freestyle (4:15.81). Caldwell also earned a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten team.

Connor Jaeger:

A senior and native of Fair Haven, New Jersey, Jaeger is a mechanical engineering major with a 3.42 G.P.A. He helped the Wolverines to a top-five finish this year after winning the individual title in the 1650 freestyle. Last year, he took home a pair of individual crowns, while helping the program capture its first NCAA title since 1995. Jaeger is a member of the U.S. National Team and is a two-time Big Ten Swimmer of the Year. He is a 10-time All-American winning three individual national titles in his career. He also placed sixth at the 2012 London Olympics in the 1,500 freestyle.

Elizabeth Beisel:

Beisel is a native of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and boasts a 3.76 G.P.A. while majoring in telecommunications. The 2013 Capital One Academic All-America® of the Year is a two-time U.S. Olympian, winning a silver and a bronze in 2012 in London. She is an 18-time All-American and 20-time All-SEC selection. She has won two NCAA individual titles in her career and nine conference crowns. She was voted the SEC Women’s Swimmer of the Year in 2012 and the Freshman Women’s Swimmer of the Year in 2011. A three-time Capital One Academic All-America® at-large first team honoree, she is the recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and 2013 SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Emma Reaney:

Lawrence, Kansas, native, Reaney boasts a 3.68 G.P.A. as a junior in design, and also has a minor in business economics. She became the first Notre Dame swimmer or diver to win an individual national championship, breaking the NCAA and American record in the 200 breaststroke, a record she set at the ACC Championships. She was voted the ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year and ACC Most Valuable Women’s Swimmer after winning three individual conference crowns. She was also the ACC’s Women’s Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year and has twice earned a spot on the Dean’s List.

Laura Ryan:

A senior diver, Ryan is a psychology major with a 3.79 G.P.A. She helped the Bulldogs capture their second-straight NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship. She earned SEC Female Diver of the Week honors three times this season and set the school record on the platform for a championship meet. A  native of Elk River, Minnesota, she was also named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and the Dean’s List. A recipient of the Ramsey Scholarship for Academic/Athletic Excellence, she served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. While at Indiana before transferring to Georgia, she was named a first team Scholar All-American by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.

First Team (Men)

• Nick Caldwell – Wisconsin – 4.0 – Chemistry
• Brad deBorde – Florida – 3.64 – Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Connor Jaeger – Michigan – 3.42 – Mechanical Engineering
• Ivan Nechunaev – Grand Canyon – 3.98 – Masters of Accounting

First Team (Women)

• Elizabeth Beisel – Florida – 3.76 – Telecommunications News
• Maya DiRado – Stanford – 3.63 – Management Science & Engineering
• Emma Reaney – Notre Dame – 3.68 – Design
• Laura Ryan – Georgia – 3.79 – Psychology

Second Team (Men)

• Phil Albu – South Dakota St. – 3.96 – Computer Science
• Andrew Gemmell – Georgia – 3.86 – Economics
• Eric Ress – Indiana – 3.60 – Physiology / Biology

Second Team (Women)

• Darcie Anderson – San Jose St. – 3.98 – Kinesiology
• Lindsay Gendron – Tennessee – 3.81 – Marketing
• Haley Ishamatsu – USC – 3.48 – Sociology
• Elise Löfgren – St. Francis (PA) – 4.0 – Chemistry
• Brooklyn Snodgrass – Indiana – 3.91 – Exploratory
• Shannon Vreeland – Georgia – 3.83 – International Affairs / Economics

Third Team (Men)

• Jamie Bissett – Purdue – 3.93 – General Health Sciences
• Cory Bowersox – Texas – 3.90 – Mechanical Engineering
• Nic Fink – Georgia – 3.73 – Agricultural Engineering
• Mike Mosca – Harvard – 3.80 – Science / History

Third Team (Women)

• Rachel Acker – California – 3.93 – French
• Kristen Barta – US Military Academy – 3.96 – Life Science Major
• Courtney Beidler – Michigan – 3.80 – Communication Studies
• Ellen Bradford – US Naval Academy – 4.0 – Honors Systems Engineering
• Brittney Kuras – Buffalo – 3.95 – Psychology
• Gabrielle Shishkoff – Penn St. – 3.97 – Psychology

To view the rest of the Division 1 Academic All American Team, click here.