Harvey Mudd Students Among CMS Scholar Athletes

Harvey Mudd students who are exceptional scholars as well as accomplished athletes were recognized by various organizations for their accomplishments in Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) sports.

SCIAC Honors

The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) 2014–2015 Spring All-Academic Teams include 70 CMS students out of the 436 honorees. To be eligible, the student-athlete must have at least a 3.4 cumulative grade point average, must have completed one full calendar year at the current institution and must have reached sophomore athletic eligibility. Mudders receiving SCIAC All-Academic Team honors are Rohan Shankar ’17 (men’s tennis); Nithya Menon ’16 (women’s tennis); Ellen Seidel ’17 (women’s track and field); and Will Clausen ’15, Matt Cook ’15, Matthew Espy ’15, Kyle Lund ’17 and Joshua Sealand ’17 (men’s track and field). In addition to All-Academic honors, Zorg Loustalet ’16 was named Harvey Mudd Alumni Association Outstanding Athlete of the Year.

Tennis

Seven CMS women’s tennis players received Scholar-Athlete award honors, while the entire women’s tennis team made the list for the 2015 All-Academic Team accolades from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The SCIAC and regional champion Athenas earned a 3.353 team grade point average. Menon was one of seven Athenas who received the ITA Scholar-Athlete distinction. The national champion men’s tennis team earned the All-Academic Team award with a cumulative 3.385 grade point average. Shankar was one of four Stags who received the Scholar-Athlete distinction from the ITA. To earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must: 1) be a varsity letter winner, 2) have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year, and 3) have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters (including freshman thorough senior year).

Track and Field, Cross Country

U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released the All-Academic Individuals from the 2014–2015 track and field season. Sealand was one of nine CMS student-athletes to earn All-Academic honors. To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and have met either of the following athletic standards: 1) competed in an NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship, or 2) finished the regular season ranked in the national top 35 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 25 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org.

Swimming and Diving

Individually, 11 CMS swimmers and divers were named to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American teams. Student-athletes must achieve a 3.50 (or better) semester GPA. To qualify for Honorable Mention Scholar All-American, the student-athlete must have achieved an NCAA “B” (provisional) cut during the season and meet the GPA requirement. Matthew Valentine ’16 was named to the Honorable Mention Team.

Beyond the CSCAA Scholar All-American accolades, CMS swimming and diving earned several other post-season academic honors. The SCIAC recognized 11 Athenas and 12 Stags on the SCIAC All-Academic Team for posting a greater than 3.40 cumulative GPA and completing more than two full semesters at Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd or Scripps College before the 2015 SCIAC Championships. The Athenas included Cassie Burgess ’17 and Sherry Zhang  ’15. The SCIAC All-Academic Stags included Brett Berger ’15, who also won the CMS Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for being the senior with the highest GPA. At the CMS swimming and diving team’s awards banquet, Grant Murray ’18 earned Rookie of the Year honors and Mike Adams ’18 received the Quantum Leap award.

The academic honors help celebrate an excellent year for the CMS Stags and Athenas. Both swimming and diving squads earned SCIAC Championships with matching 8-0 conference dual meet records and SCIAC championship meet titles. At the national level, the Stags finished fifth at the 2015 NCAA Division III Championships and only one team (Williams College) finished ahead of CMS in both the national meet standings and in overall GPA. The Athenas placed 16th at the 2015 NCAA Championships and had the highest academic/athletic ranking in the West Region.

Full list of athletes and more CMS news