Record 13 Akron Swimmers & Divers Named to CSCCA Scholar All-America Team

Record 13 Akron Swimmers & Divers Named to CSCCA Scholar All-America Team

July 02 | Women's Swimming & Diving, Academics

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CSCAA Release

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Akron set another record on Tuesday as 13 Zips earned individual CSCAA Scholar All-America selections, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) announced.

The record-high 13 Zips were a program record and the most from any school from the Mid-American Conference which had 32 honorees total.

Senior Ragen Engel (Springfield, Ohio), freshman Sofia Henell (Linkoping, Sweden), junior Ellie Nebraska (Delaware, Ohio), sophomore Paulina Nogaj (Radom, Poland), and freshman Sarah Watson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) all received first-team Scholar All-America honors.

Junior Jessica Bonezzi (Wooster, Ohio), junior Katelyn Applin (Dansville, N.Y.), sophomore Andrea Bugariu (Troy, Mich.), senior Karly Crail (Edgewood, Ky.), freshman Andrea Fischer (St. Paul, Minn.), freshman Olivia Gardner (Bromsgrove, England), junior Mackenzie Vargas (Roseville, Calif.), and junior Morgan Waggoner (Fremont, Ohio) each received Honorable Mention Scholar All-America accolades.

"This is a monumental accomplishment for our program," said Akron head coach Brian Peresie. "These 13 individuals have shown the ability to be high achieving in both their studies and in the pool. It is extremely rewarding watching our team excel in the classroom. It is privilege to be one of their coaches and the entire Zips' community can be proud of their accomplishments."

To be eligible for first-team honors, a student-athlete must have been an NCAA Championship participant. Honorable Mention honors are based on reaching an individual NCAA 'B' standard or participating in an NCAA diving qualifying event. Academically, the honorees must achieve a minimum of 3.50 GPA.

Last week, Akron was also named to the Scholar All-America Team for the 2019 Spring Semester after recording a team GPA of 3.58. As a team, the Zips have earned the honor of a CSCAA All-American team every semester in the program's history (since the 1998-99 season). Akron was one of a record 713 teams from 480 institutions that were named to the list.

Akron's CSCAA Scholar All-America Recipients
First team, Major
Ragen Engel, Biology
Sofia Henell, Biology
Ellie Nebraska, Accounting
Paulina Nogaj, Strategic & Organizational Communications
Sarah Watson, Biology

Honorable Mention
Katelyn Applin, Psychology
Jessica Bonezzi, Speech
Andrea Bugariu, Psychology
Karly Crail, Biology
Andrea Fischer, Exercise Science & Physiology
Olivia Gardner, Business Administration
Mackenzie Vargas, Supply Chain & Operations Management
Morgan Waggoner, Biology

About the CSCAA
Founded in 1922, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) is the first professional association of college coaches the United States. The CSCAA is dedicated to serving and providing leadership for the advancement of the sport of swimming and diving at the collegiate level.