Sept. 14, 2010

ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio swimming and diving continues to make ripples out of the pool as student-athletes Chelsey Bower, Lauren Funk, Rachel Heim, MaryRose Hillstrom, Stacey Huber and Amanda Traylor were all named Academic All-Americans in a release by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).

The six Bobcats named to the list were the most of any Mid-American Conference school and the second most of any school within the state of Ohio. It adds to Ohio's growing list of academic recognitions. Four `Cats garnered Academic All-MAC status earlier this year. For Heim (San Diego, Calif.), this recognition marks her fourth academic honor of the season. She was previously named Academic All-MAC, as well as Academic All-District and Third Team Academic All-American. Bower, meanwhile, collected her second academic award, after having been named Academic All-MAC as well.

Bower, a Bethel Park, Pa., native, graduated this past June with a degree in Marketing. For her career, she finished with four MAC Championships, two First Team All-MAC recognitions, three Academic All-MAC awards and two CSCAA Academic All-American honors. She also competed at the NCAA championships in 2009 and won two Scott Hammond Awards, awarded for the team's most outstanding performance in a season.

For Funk, a Springfield, Ohio native, it is the first academic honor of her career. A sophomore majoring in Interior Design, she enjoyed a solid freshman season this past year. In addition to taking fifth in the MAC in the 50 Freestyle and 10th in the 100 Free, she anchored Ohio's 200 Free Relay team which won a MAC championship.

A Chemistry/Biochemistry major, Heim picked up her fourth academic recognition of the year. A standout from San Diego, Calif., she was named First Team All-MAC and was the MAC Co-Swimmer of the year while winning four conference titles. Heim also received the team's Ed Wright Award, given annually to the team's most valuable member and recently placed 21st nationally at the 2010 National Championships and qualified for the 2012 Olympic trials in the 100 Fly.

Hillstrom is an Integrated Mathematics major that enjoyed a solid freshman season as a diver last year. A Dimondale, Mich., native, she qualified for the NCAA Zone C Championships where she finished 25th at one meter and 27th at three meters. She finished 12th in the MAC at one meter and 14th at three meters while also setting a program record at one meter with a 298.05 against Dennison.

Huber (Gainesville, Fla.) picked up the second CSCAA Academic All-American Award of her career, having previously received the honor in 2008. An Art major, she finished fifth in the 1650 Free at the MAC Championships, 14th in the 400 Individual Medley and fifth in the 500 Free. She was a First Team All-MAC honoree in 2008.

A Los Alamitos, Calif., native, Traylor nabbed the second CSCAA Academic All-American honor of her career. The Exercise Physiology major is a two-time All-MAC honoree, being named First Team All-MAC this season, and finished second in the 200 Free, 500 Free and 800 Free Relay at last season's MAC Championships. She recently placed 22nd in the 400 Free at the 2010 National Championships and qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials.

To be eligible for CSCAA Academic All-America consideration, student-athletes must have achieved an NCAA provisional time and have either a 3.5 cumulative Grade Point Average, a 3.5 GPA for any 2009-10 quarter or a 3.5 GPA for the 200-10 academic year.