February 23, 2005

Dallas, Texas -

Feb. 23, 2005

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Fourteen Missouri swimmers and divers - nine women and five men - were among the 97 student-athletes named to the 2005 Academic All-Big 12 squads, which were announced by the conference this week.

On the women's side, seniors Becca Dawson, Anna Massey, Lindsay Palbykin, Megan Robertson and Belinda Wood garnered first-team selections. Sophomores Kim Gainey, Kim Massaro and Rachel Wender rounded out Mizzou's first-team honorees. Juniors Laura Pontecore and Liz Schoborg were selected to the second-team, completing the Tigers' total of nine on the squad.

This marks the third selection each for Dawson, Massey and Wood, and the second for Palbykin and Robertson. Gainey, Massaro, Pontecore, Schoborg and Wender all earned their first Academic All-Big 12 nod this season.

Seniors Matt North and Jacob Thomas, juniors David Darmitzel and Wade Pennington and sophomore Peter Willett are the five Mizzou representatives on the men's Academic All-Big 12 first team. The men didn't have any selections to the second team.

North and Thomas are both now three-time recipients of academic all-conference merits. Darmitzel, a team captain, Pennington and Willett all earned their second selection in as many years.

Thomas, the Tigers' other team captain this season, joined Ryan Kemp and Matt Neal of Texas A&M as the only three men's nominees with a 4.0 grade point average.