Panthers’ Swim Teams Receive Academic Honor
By Space Coast Daily // July 19, 2012
Standouts In Pool, Classroom
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – For the second time in its inaugural season, Florida Tech’s men’s and women’s swimming teams have been named College Swimming Coaches Association of America Division II Scholar All-America.
Florida Tech was one of only 12 institutions to have both of its teams recognized for earning at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average through the spring semester. The Panthers earned their first-ever CSCAA Scholar All-America honor in March, which reflected the fall 2011 semester.
“I am very pleased with the academic performance of both the men’s and women’s teams in our inaugural year,” Panthers head coach Jeni Ritter said. “This is something we as a team set as a goal for this first season, and I know it will continue to be a goal for the upcoming season. With a team made up of predominantly freshmen, there is an adjustment period to college level academics and the expectations.
“They seemed to take these challenges in stride and succeed, which definitely says a lot about their perseverance. The returning team will be very influential in aiding the incoming class to be successful in their freshman year,” she said.
The women finished the spring semester with a 3.24 cumulative GPA, while the men closed out the school year with a 3.14 cumulative GPA.
Only two other Sunshine State Conference men’s swimming programs, Florida Southern and Tampa, made the list.
The CSCAA award was not the only accolade the mens’ squad earned in its first season. The Panthers also won the athletic department’s Male Team GPA Award and received one of the institution’s Student Service Awards for philanthropy.
The mens’ team’s 12 members — Tom Ansell, Jerome Antoinette, Andrew Cannon, Simon Carroll, Cassidy Chan, Ross Donatelli, Karim Lotfy, Will Mitchell, Michael Momanyi, Steven Moodie, Kaikea Nakachi and Zach Sanchez – logged 47 hours of community service and contributed $800 in community philanthropy efforts to earn a bronze honor.
They were the only non-Greek organization to earn a philanthropy award.
