July 8, 2005

IRVING, TEXAS - Three Conference USA women's swimming and diving programs earned All-American status on Wednesday after posting combined grade point averages of 3.19 or higher. With a team GPA of 3.37, Houston topped all C-USA members and was honored as the No. 18 Academic All-American Team in the country by the College Swimming Coaches of America. Tulane tied for No. 31 as the Green Wave posted a 3.28 GPA, while SMU brought in a team GPA of 3.20 to place No. 41.

The Cougars, who finished 20th nationally at the NCAA Championships in March, ranked 18th in the country with their overall GPA. In addition, the group ranked No. 1 among all UH teams with their impressive academic standing during the 2005 spring semester.

This wasn't the first academic award for the Cougar Swimming & Diving program in 2004-05 under the leadership of head coach Mark Taylor and diving head coach Jane Figueiredo. Seventeen student-athletes were named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll for recording a GPA of 3.0 or better during the 2004-05 academic year. In addition, Szintia Szanto and Stacey Williams received the C-USA Academic Medal for a GPA of 3.75 or better. Diver Azul Almazan, who was named an All-America on the platform and 3-meter springboard in 2005, received the C-USA Scholar-Athlete Award for Swimming and Diving for her work athletically and academically.

Tulane earned Academic All-America status after posting a team 3.28 grade point average, an honor that comes just four months after the Green Wave won the 2005 C-USA Swimming & Diving Championship in just their second season under head coach Daniella Irle. Sixteen of the 22 members of the Tulane team posted at least a 3.0 GPA, including nine with a mark of 3.5 or better. Fourteen student-athletes were named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll, while Tiffany Brown and Amanda Williams received C-USA Academic Medals for their 3.75 or higher GPAs.

SMU rounded out Conference USA schools represented as the Mustangs totaled a team grade point average of 3.20. SMU captured its ninth-straight Western Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championship last season.

Academic All-American
Division I Women - Spring 2005
3.61 Gardner-Webb University
3.59 Xavier University
3.57 Washington State University
3.56 Drexel University
3.52 Clemson University
3.51 George Washington University
3.50 Duquesne University
3.48 Georgetown University
3.45 Eastern Michigan University
3.44 University of Cincinnati
3.42 South Dakota State University
3.41 Lafayette College
3.40 University of Vermont
3.39 Boston College
3.39 Syracuse University
3.38 West Virginia University
3.38 Northwestern University
3.37 University of Houston
3.35 University of Miami
3.34 Bucknell University
3.33 Michigan State University
3.33 University of Minnesota
3.33 University of Pittsburgh
3.32 Auburn University
3.32 Dartmouth College
3.32 University of Evansville
3.32 Wright State University
3.31 St. Bonaventure University
3.31 Miami University
3.30 University of Florida
3.28 Indiana University
3.28 Tulane University
3.27 University of Georgia
3.27 Ohio University
3.26 Iowa State University
3.26 University of Tennessee
3.26 Purdue University
3.23 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
3.22 Binghamton University
3.21 University of Kansas
3.20 SMU
3.19 Ohio State University