3/29/2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. ? The Georgetown University men?s and women's swimming and diving teams were both named among the top academic programs in the nation by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
The men?s overall team GPA of 3.28 for the fall 2003 semester ranked third in the nation among Division I swim programs, and the women?s team ranked No. 38 with a GPA of 3.23. This was the 19th consecutive semester that the programs earned Team Academic All-America Honors.
The men?s team improved their composite GPA of 3.205 from last year to move from ninth place into third. Last year the women?s team ranked No. 11 in the nation with a 3.399 GPA.
The Hoyas recently finished a spectacular season in which the men won the Northeast Conference Championship in their first season in the league as associate members, and the women placed second. The Hoyas? Kevin Walsh (Bethesda, Md./ Saint Anselms) took home two gold medals at the championship meet, with wins in both the 400 yard individual medley (4:18.46) and the 200 yard butterfly (1:56.91).
On the women?s side, sophomore Katie Amaro (Shreveport, La./ Loyola Prep) took the gold in the 1,650 yard freestyle (17:27.50) and senior Juliana Bonilla (West Covina, Calif./ Covina) won the three-meter diving competition (422.65) at the Northeast Conference Championships. Amaro also placed second in the 500 yard freestyle, third in the 200 yard freestyle, and joined senior Colleen Newman (Staten Island, N.Y./ Notre Dame), and sophomores Cori Rafaelli (Oxnard, Calif./ Ventura College) and Eileen Sytnyk (Nutley, N.J./ Mount St. Dominic) to place third in the 800 yard freestyle relay.
Georgetown Head Coach Beth Bower recently named Walsh and Amaro the team's MVPs of the 2003-04 season. Sophomore Corinne Rhodes (Doylestown, Pa./ Central Bucks) and senior Tim Reynolds (East Williston, N.Y./ Charminade) received the Coaches Award, and senior Kristin Canzano (Rutherford, N.J./ Rutherford High) and sophomore Don Ball (Horsham, Pa./ Hatboro-Horsham) were named Most Improved.
