Nanook swim team recieves academic honor for third year in a row!

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - The UAF Nanook’s swimming team has been honored as a Scholar All-America Team!

This honor comes from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America or CSCAA and it is an honor they have received for the third year in a row. The CSCAA has given UAF this honor as they have posted a team grade point average or GPA of 3.28. The Executive Director of the CSCAA, Greg Earhart, has been quoted as saying this about the Nanooks achievements, “Coach Leeson continues to carry on the success of UAF in the pool and classroom. These 16 women are some of the best ambassadors that Alaska Fairbanks and the west coast could ask for.”

Kelsey Leeson, the Head Coach of the Nanooks swim program also expressed pride in her teams academic performance saying, “Overall, I am proud of how the fall semester went academically. It’s always hard starting a new term with new classes, swimming, traveling, etc. then you add in COVID and the changes it causes throughout the semester, but these athletes did well making their studies a priority.”

Of the 20 swimmers on the team, 11 hold a GPA of 3.25 or higher.

For those on the team with a GPA of 3.25 to 3.49, there’s freshmen Taryn Aho studying biologiocal sciences, and Nella Pashak studying Marine science. Also, junior’s Kyleigh McArthur majoring in fisheries and Caroline McCormick studying psychology.

For those posting between a 3.5 and 3.74, sophomore Shann McCallum and junior Gabrielle Davy are listed, studying biological sciences and geosciences respectively.

Finally for the swimmers with GPA of 3.75 or higher, there is grad student Emma Corby going for a masters in English. For the undergrads with high marks, there are four names to be mentioned. Whitney McArthur is the sole upper classman and she is studying biological sciences, while the following three are freshmen. Mesa Moran is majoring in secondary education, Cassie Erdman makes for yet a fourth biological sciences major, and Lainey Lioi brings biological sciences to five of the eleven teammates with an impressive GPA.

Now the team takes on Loyola Marymount this weekend at the Patty Center Pool, swimming at 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.