The following is a press release courtesy of Missouri State University:
SPRINGFIELD – Eleven members of the Missouri State men’s swimming & diving team have been named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team, the league announced Friday, April 17.
Bears selected to the Academic All-MAC Team include seniors Aaron Dennis, Isaac McKnight, Garrett Nevels, Max Pratt and Matthew Wilson; juniors Miguel Davila, Uvis Kalnins, Jack Snow and Isaac Springer; and sophomores Preston Selby and Brandon Weissman.
Missouri State had the second most amount of student-athletes represented on the MAC list among the seven men’s swimming and diving members, with 51 student-athletes total earning academic all-conference honors.
Dennis, an accounting major with a 3.66 GPA, earned his third academic honor from the MAC, previously being named an honorable mention as a sophomore and first-team academic selection as a junior. The senior finished his career at the MAC Championships by advancing to the B-finals in two events for the Bears, while also placing seventh overall in the 100-yard breaststroke.
McKnight was selected to the Academic All-MAC list for the second time of his career, previously honored as a first-team member his sophomore season. A finance major with a 3.67 GPA, the senior wrapped up his Bears swimming career by earning gold medals in the 800-yard and 400-yard freestyle relays at the MAC Championships. He also made podium appearances at the MAC meet in the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle.
Nevels picked up Academic All-MAC honors for the second straight year after wrapping up his diving career at the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The senior advanced to NCAA’s by qualifying at the Zone D meet with an eighth-place finish in 1-meter diving. He was the first Bears diver to do so in the previous 25 years. Named the MAC Outstanding diver as a junior, Nevels finished second on 1-meter and fourth on the 3-meter board at the MAC Championships this season. A marketing management major with a 3.27 GPA, Nevels holds school and pool records in both events.
Pratt, a digital film production major with a 3.78 GPA, was previously an honorable mention All-MAC selection last season. The senior earned season-best runner up honors with a time of 1:40.84 in the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle in 4:31.30 at the Shamrock Invitational. He also set a lifetime best in the 1650-yard freestyle (16:06.66) for sixth place.
Wilson joins the Academic All-MAC Team for the third straight season. An accounting major with a 3.66 GPA, Wilson was an All-MAC Second Team selection at the MAC championships after placing fourth in the 200-yard butterfly, while also getting seventh in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke. The senior finished the season with the second fastest times in three events for the Bears.
Davila, studying international business with a 3.78 GPA, was an All-MAC First Team honoree at the conference championship after breaking three school records. Davila set school records in the 500-yard freestyle, 1000-yard freestyle and 1650-yard freestyle at the MAC meet, winning gold in the 1650 free and silver in the 500 free and 400-yard IM. The junior was previously honored as an Academic All-MAC selection last season.
Kalnins, an international business student with a 3.69 GPA, earned Academic-All MAC honors for the second-consecutive season. Kalnins several gold medals at this season’s MAC Championships, doing so individually by breaking school records in the 200-yard IM and 400-yard IM. A three-time First Team All-MAC selection, Kalnins competed at the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships for the second year in a row. The junior had a personal-best 21st-place finish in the 400 IM, placed 23rd in the 200 IM and got 41st in the 100-yard freestyle.
Snow boasts a 3.92 GPA in biology and is an Academic All-MAC selection for the second season. The junior made three B-finals appearances for the Bears at the MAC Championships. Snow raced in the A-finals for the Bears’ 200-yard freestyle squad that placed fifth. Individually, Snow placed 11th overall in the 50-yard freestyle, 12th in the 200-yard backstroke and 14th overall in the 100-yard backstroke.
Springer, a cell and molecular biology major with a 3.55 GPA, earned All-MAC First Team honors at the MAC championships. The junior picks up his second Academic All-MAC honors after finishing the MAC Championships with a gold medal in the 100-yard breaststroke in a ‘B’ consideration time of 53.85. Springer also placed fifth individually in the 200-yard breaststroke, while also winning gold medals as part of school- and conference-record squads in the 200-yard medley and 400-yard medley relays.
Selby had two lifetime bests in his appearance at the MAC Championships. The sophomore earned his first conference academic honors after placing first in the B-finals at the MAC meet in the 100-yard butterfly. Currently undeclared and holding a 3.27 GPA, Selby also made B-finals appearances in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard butterfly by finishing 11th and 13th overall, respectively.
Weissman makes his debut on the Academic All-MAC list after finishing with all-conference second-team honors at this season’s MAC Championships. Majoring in accounting with a 4.00 GPA, the sophomore had three lifetime bests and made two podium appearances for the Bears at the MAC meet. Weissman finished seventh in both the 400-yard IM and the 200-yard backstroke, while also finishing first in the B-finals of the 1650-yard freestyle.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for student-athletes who have excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for their particular sports. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
