July 6, 2009

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee women's swimming and diving team and six individual Lady Vols were honored by the College Swimming Coaches Association in its annual Scholar All-America awards.

With a 3.26 team GPA, UT was one of 109 women's squads named as a 2009 Academic All-American Team by having GPA of above a 3.0.

Additionally, Alex Barsanti and Gabrielle Trudeau were named individual Academic All-Americans by the CSCAA, while Samara Gelb, Sarah McCall, Staley McCartney and Jill Pierce picked up Honorable Mention Academic All-America honors.

The Lady Vols proved they are getting the job done in both the pool and the classroom as the CSCAA required a swimmer or diver to have participated in the NCAA Championships and have a GPA of 3.5 or better to earn a spot on the Academic All-American team. To earn Honorable Mention accolades, an athlete had to achieve a 3.5 GPA and record an NCAA-qualifying time or mark.

Trudeau capped her freshman season by placing 13th at the 2009 NCAA Championships on the platform, while also competing on the 1-meter and 3-meter boards.

Barsanti qualified for her first national championships during her junior season, competing in the 100y and 200y breast events.

McCall was a standout in the breast and IM events during her final collegiate season, while McCartney was one of UT's top divers during her senior year.

Pierce qualified for the NCAA Cone B Diving Championships during her sophomore season, while Gelb scored points for the Lady Vols in the fly, breast and IM events in her debut season in Orange and White.

Lady Vol CSCAA Individual Academic All-Americans
Alex Barsanti (Hummelstown, Pa.)
Gabrielle Trudeau (Montreal, Canada)

Lady Vol CSCAA Individual Honorable Mention Academic All-Americans
Samara Gelb (Clarksville, Md.)
Sarah McCall (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Staley McCartney (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Jill Pierce (Knoxville, Tenn.)