Swimmers Earn National Academic Kudos

News Release Date:
Thursday, August 6, 2009

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Whitman College swim teams have received national academic recognition from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.

Coach Jenn Blomme

The Whitman men’s team, which placed third at the Northwest Conference Championships in February, was honored for having the 10th-highest team grade point average (gpa) among NCAA Division III schools.

With a team gpa of 3.41 on a 4.0 scale, the Whitman men finished just four one-hundredths of a percentage point behind Johns Hopkins University, which was fourth on the Division III list. Macalester College was first with a team gpa of 3.65.

Whitman was the only NWC school to be honored on the men’s list, which required a minimum team gpa of 3.0.

Noel Sollom-Brotherton

On the women’s side, Whitman topped a group of three NWC schools to reap national academic honors. The Whitman women, who finished fourth at February’s conference championship meet, finished with a 3.32 team gpa, just ahead of Whitworth University and its 3.31 mark. The University of Puget Sound women were further down the list with a 3.09 team gpa.

Noel Sollom-Brotherton, a Whitman senior, also earned Honorable Mention individual honors from CSCAA. He met the individual gpa requirements while notching a national championship provisional qualifying time in the 200-yard backstroke.

Sollom-Brotherton posted a number of strong swims at the 2009 NWC championships, placing second in the 200-yard backstroke and third in the 100-yard backstroke. He also was part of Whitman relay teams that set new school records.

Jenn Blomme coaches the Whitman swim teams. She begins her 10th season this fall.

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu