The College Sports Communicators (CSC) have announced their 2025 Academic All-American Teams for women’s college swimming. The Academic All-American Teams include all three NCAA divisions, as well as the NAIA.
To qualify for the team, student athletes must maintain a 3.50 GPA and be among the elite in their respective sport. Communications directors name student-athletes to the All-District Teams, then, CSC members vote on the All-American Teams. Once the All-American Teams have been named for each sport, CSC members will vote to select one singular Academic All-America of the Year recipient for each NCAA division, and the NAIA, across all sports combined, with the announcement scheduled for July 31st.
The CSC also names a Member of the Year for each sport and division, highlighting standouts in the pool and the classroom across Division I, Division II, Division III, and the NAIA. The women’s Member of the Year honorees were Gretchen Walsh from Virginia (DI), Luna Mertins from Lynn (DII), Abigail Wilkov from Case Western Reserve (DIII), and Aubrey Bach from Keiser (NAIA).
Walsh, a commerce major with a 3.85 GPA, concluded her collegiate career with a dominant performance at the 2025 D1 National Championships. The senior secured three individual titles and contributed to four relay wins. She claimed her fourth consecutive NCAA 100 free title, breaking her own NCAA and American records with a time of 44.71. She also won NCAA titles and broke records in the 50 free and 100 butterfly events, leading the University of Virginia to its fifth consecutive team championship. Her legacy includes 25 NCAA titles, with nine coming in individual events, and 27 All-America honors.
A graduate student with a 3.93 GPA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Mertins is a 28-time All-America swimmer, earning 23 first-team accolades. At the 2025 NCAA Division II Championships, she captured two individual national titles, setting NCAA records in the 100 fly (51.78) and the 100 free (48.07).
Wilkov, a neuroscience major with a 4.00 GPA, concluded the most successful women’s diving career in Case Western Reserve University history with two runner-up finishes at the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships, marking the best results in school history. She made history in 2023 as the first diver in school history to earn All-America honors on the 1m board.
A graduate student in Financial Technology at Keiser University with a 4.0 GPA, Bach previously competed at Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2020-21 before transferring to Keiser. She has collected 11 All-America honors, including four at the 2025 NAIA Championships, where she helped Keiser secure its fourth consecutive NAIA title. There, she swam on the victorious 400 and 800 free relay teams and earned All-America recognition in the 100 and 200 free.
Among Division I swimmers and divers, 10 members of the Academic All-American Team achieved a 4.0 GPA. Here is that list of student-athletes:
- Ching Hwee Gan – Indiana University, Senior, Nutrition Science
- Hedda Grelz – University of Houston, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
- Emily Lundgren – Washington State University, Junior, Digital Technology & Culture
- Abby McCulloh – University of Georgia, Senior, Journalism
- Malia Rausch – University of Arizona, Junior, Neuroscience & Cognitive Science
- Aurora Roghair – Stanford University, Senior, Human Biology
- Arianna Sakellaris – University of Hawaii at Manoa, Graduate Student, Clinical Research
- Chloe Stepanek – Texas A&M, Graduate Student, Biomedical Sciences
- Emma Sticklen – University of Texas, Senior, Sports Communication (Graduate)
- Alex Walsh – University of Virginia, Graduate Student, Computer Science
Below are the full Academic All-American Teams for each division.
Division I
- (1) = 1st team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (2) = 2nd team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (3) = 3rd team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (4) = 1st team Academic All-America in 2022-23
- (5) = 2nd team Academic All-America in 2022-23
- (6) = 3rd team Academic All-America in 2022-23
- (7) = 2nd team Academic All-America At-Large in 2021-22
Division II
- (1) = 1st team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (2) = 2nd team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (3) = 3rd team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (4) = 1st team Academic All-America in 2022-23
- (5) = 2nd team Academic All-America in 2022-23
- (6) = 3rd team Academic All-America in 2022-23
Division III
- (1) = 1st team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (2) = 2nd team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (3) = 3rd team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (4) = 1st team Academic All-America in 2022-23
- (5) = 2nd team Academic All-America in 2022-23
- (6) = 3rd team Academic All-America in 2022-23
NAIA
- (1) = 1st team Academic All-America in 2023-24
- (2) = 1st team Academic All-America in 2022-23
what is a commerce major?
Virginia just structures its business school a little different. They all get degrees in “commerce” but can also focus in the more traditional business specialties like finance, accounting, marketing, etc. Without the specialization, I would describe it like majoring in business management at another college – kind of a generalist business degree.
Love to see premier athletes be nerds as well
Yaaaas education first!!! Great job!!!
Congratulations to all on the list. What an achievement!