July 23, 2003
Columbia, Mo. - Missouri's men's and women's swimming and diving teams have received Academic All-America status from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America for the second straight academic semester.
For a team to be considered for Academic All-American status, the team must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the semester. Both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams received CSCAA Academic All-American awards for the second straight semester. The men's team's GPA ranked in the top 25 for Division I schools as they averaged a 3.02 GPA. The women finished the spring semester with a 3.25 GPA.
In addition to the team awards, five swimmers - Matt Ferrarelli, Rebecca Wolfe, Ellen Cross, Tiffany Bohon, and Radu Miclaus all received individual All-America awards.
In order to be considered for the individual academic All-America honors, athletes must have competed in the NCAA Championships and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher for the year.
Ferrarelli, a chemistry major and recent graduate of Mizzou, posted a 3.875 grade point average and earned his second CSCAA Academic All-America award after finishing 13th at the 2003 NCAA Championships in the 400 meter individual medley. Ferrarelli is a two-time Big 12 Champion in the 400 IM and he is also a CoSIDA Academic All-American. Ferrarelli is also a two-time CSCAA Honorable Mention Academic All-American. Ferrarelli most recently captured his first national title after winning the 400 IM at the British National Championships.
Wolfe, a rising senior at MU, posted a 3.71 GPA and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200 butterfly. Her time of 1:59.82 in the 200 fly was good enough to make the championships. Wolfe is also a two-time Big 12 Champion in the 200 fly making her only the second woman to win a Big 12 title in Missouri swimming history.
Recent graduates Cross, Bohon, and Miclaus all received CSCAA Academic All-American Honorable Mention awards. If an athlete's GPA is 3.5 or higher, but the NCAA provisional mark does not qualify them for the NCAA Championships, they are given honorable mention status. Cross, a three-time CSCAA Academic All-American Honorable Mention recipient and a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, finished the year with a 3.875 GPA. Bohon, a two-time CSCAA Academic All-American Honorable Mention recipient and a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, garnered a 3.69 GPA at the end of the year. Miclaus, a two-time CSCAA Academic All-American Honorable Mention recipient and a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree was also named to the Verizon Academic All-District Team as he completed the year with a 3.52 GPA.