May 26, 2009

ATHENS, Ohio - Rachel Heim, a sophomore on Ohio University's swimming and diving team, was selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District IV Women's At-Large Second Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America have announced. Heim is one of three Mid-American Conference student-athletes named to the second team, while two MAC student-athletes earned first-team accolades, including Ohio senior field hockey player Rachelle Coetzee, making Ohio the only MAC school to place more than one student-athlete on one of the women's Academic All-District at-large teams.

Heim (San Diego, Calif.) was named Academic All-MAC in 2009, as well, and garnered MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors twice during the season. She has a 3.97 grade point average and is a biochemistry major.

A First-Team All-MAC selection for the second-straight year this season, Heim won the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly titles at the 2009 MAC Championships, defending her 100 fly title from her freshman campaign. She claimed both crowns in school and league-record times, touching in 54.65 in the 100 back and 53.47 in the 100 fly, both of which were also NCAA provisional qualifying marks. Heim was also a member of Ohio's MAC champion 200 and 400 free relay teams that finished in Bobcat and MAC-record times of 1:30.47 and 3:20.04, respectively. In addition, she swam on the 200 medley and 800 free relay teams that set school records with times of 1:40.80 and 7:13.51, respectively, at the MAC Championships.

CoSIDA's District IV consists of universities in the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, while the women's at-large team consists of student-athletes participating in bowling, crew, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis and water polo.

To be eligible for the all-district teams, student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of their games, have been enrolled at their institution for at least a year and carry a 3.30 cumulative GPA or better. The teams are then voted on and selected by members of CoSIDA.