CollegeSwimming.com today announced the 2008 Division I Men’s Mid-Major All-America Swimming team and named Yale’s Alex Righi its Men’s Mid-Major Swimmer-of-the-Year. The thirteen men earned the honor based on their qualification for the 2008 Men’s NCAA Division I Championships while another seventy-eight were given “Honorable Mention” status by earning NCAA ‘B’ time standards during the 2007-08 season.
Righi finished second in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyles at last month’s Men’s Division I Championships. It was the highest finish for a Bulldog swimmer since Paul Gilbert won the 100 backstroke in 1972.
“This is truly an elite group.” said CollegeSwimming.com director Greg Earhart. “The men’s NCAA Division I meet is an exclusive club typically reserved for a select group of institutions. These swimmers and their coaches show that you don’t need to be at a traditional power (or even have athletic scholarships) to make the world’s biggest meet.”
Members of the 2008 CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major All-America Swimming Team are:
Dobies, Jakub SO Cleveland State
Erazo, Eddie SR UC-Irvine
Feight, Aaron JR Denver
Jones, William JR Harvard
Lichtenstein, Jeff SR Yale
Lennox, Doug JR Princeton
Lynch, Eric JR Harvard
Malcolm, Stuart SR Princeton
McDowell, Michael SO Buffalo
Rathgeber, Geoff JR Harvard
Righi, Alex SO Yale
Unold, Marcin SO Oakland
Worsley, Blake JR Denver
The following have been recognized as CollegeSwimming.com Men’s All-America Team Honorable Mentions:
Avery, Bryan Air Force Academy
Balint, Patrick Old Dominion
Bartlett, Matt UC-Santa Barbara
Biggs, Patrick Princeton
Brunnick, Mason Harvard
Day, Justin Air Force Academy
Diekema, Jordan Harvard
Dunn, David Pacific
Eckel, Dan Princeton
Faux, Geoff Princeton
Felton, Brooks UC-Santa Barbara
Fog, Henning Columbia
Fulkerson, Ryan Eastern Michigan
Gayo, Ignacio Missouri State
Gilmore, Francis Western Kentucky
Griest, Robert Princeton
Guernsey, David Harvard
Gunn, Ben Air Force Academy
Hanna, Colin Princeton
Holdsworth, Aaron Oakland
Horvath, Zoltan Oakland
Hunter, Erik Naval Academy
Jones, Dan Harvard
Kline, Peter California Polytechnic
Knight, Eric George Mason
Matsumoto, Bradley UC-Santa Barbara
McClary, Danny UC-Santa Barbara
Meyer, Adam Naval Academy
Newman, Wes Cornell
O'Keefe, Sean Air Force Academy
Pajares, Eduardo Missouri State
Penhale, Sean Western Kentucky
Pool, Christopher Yale
Quemena, Chris Princeton
Quinn, Pat Harvard
Roe, Derick Eastern Michigan
Schaffer, Will Princeton
Schmitt, Andrew Illinois-Chicago
Serra, Victor Missouri State
Skinner, Cajun Missouri State
Sudbury, Jeffrey UC-Santa Barbara
Summers, Garth Denver
Tansel, Chris Oakland
Villarroel Zobala, Nic Missouri State
Vogelgesang, Scott UC-Santa Barbara
Waggoner, Matt California Polytechnic
Wakefield, Kevin Columbia
Wiggin, Christopher UC-Santa Barbara
Wollner, Sam Harvard
Zinn, Andrew Delaware
Zoldak, Krzysztof Pacific
Two-timers: Three athletes – Righi, Oakland's Marcin Unold, and Harvard’s Geoff Rathgeber were named to the team for the second time.
Climbing the Ivy: The Ivy League dominated the team with more than half (seven) selections. The Big West, Horizon, Mid-American, Summit and Sun Belt conferences were also represented.
Mid-Major institutions are designated as colleges or universities that are not affiliated with a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conference as well as those institutions awarding less than half of the maximum-allowable scholarships (seven for women, five for men).
