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Aug. 29, 2000
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both received College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-America honors for their performances in the classroom this past year. In addition, five swimmers garnered first-team CSCAA individual academic honors.
The Virginia women’s swimming and diving team earned an Excellent rating for its team GPA of 3.00 for the 1999-2000 academic year. The UVa men’s team garnered a Commendable rating with a 2.84 team GPA. The highest rating is Superior for a team GPA of 3.25 and above.
The Cavaliers also had five swimmers earn the CSCAA’s first-team Academic All-America Individual Award. For the men’s program, Austin Ramirez (Brookfield, Wisc./Brookfield Central), Jamie Grimes (Olney, Md./Sherwood) and Evan Taylor (Issaquah, Wash./Issaquah) each captured Academic All-America honors. The UVa women’s team is represented on the CSCAA Academic All-America squad by Rebecca Cronk (Charlottesville, Va./Albemarle) and Emily Carrig (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman).
Ramirez finished his collegiate career by tying for the most NCAA All-America honors by a UVa men’s swimmer with 11. Ramirez was named the 2000 ACC Championship Meet’s Most Valuable Swimmer. He became just the second ACC men’s swimmer to win four consecutive titles in two different events at the ACC Championship (1650 free and 500 free). Ramirez also earned second-team GTE Academic All-America Fall-Winter At-Large accolades for his performances in the pool and classroom. In 1997 and 1998, he earned CSCAA All-Academic First Team honors.
Grimes and Taylor earned the CSCAA Academic All-America Individual Award for the first time. Grimes, the recipient of UVa’s men’s Hardest Worker Award, finished fifth in the 1500-meter freestyle at the recently concluded Olympic Trials. He earned 2000 NCAA first-team All-America honors by finishing sixth in the 1500-meter freestyle. At the ACC Championship Meet, he captured runner-up honors in the 200 butterfly (1:46.57) and was also fifth in the 100 fly (48.68). Taylor participated in the NCAA Championships in both butterfly events and was 27th in the 100-meter fly (54.36) and 24th in the 200 (1:59.40).
Cronk, a team captain, concluded her collegiate career with 19 All-America certificates, a Virginia school record. She was a five-time All-American in 2000. Cronk, the 1999 ACC Swimmer of the Year, is Virginia’s school record holder in the 50 freestyle (22.52). Carrig, who served as a captain in 1999-2000, earned the Coaches Award this past season. She captured first-team All-America honors at the 2000 NCAA Championships as a member of Virginia’s 800-meter freestyle relay team that finished eighth (8:05.54). She was also named to the 2000 GTE District III Academic Fall/Winter At-Large Team.
To be eligible for CSCAA awards, a student-athlete must qualify to participate in the NCAA, NAIA, or JC Swimming and Diving Championships, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 (based on a 4.0 scale) overall or a 3.5 GPA for the entire school year (fall and spring semester combined), and completed the equivalent of 24 semester hours at the institution that he/she represents at the NCAA, NAIA, or JC Swimming and Diving Championships during the academic school year (September – June).