IOWA CITY, Iowa — Thirteen members of the University of Iowa swimming and diving team were named College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-Americans, it was announced Wednesday by the association.
Five Hawkeyes — junior Kelsey Drake and Daniel Swanepoel, sophomores Anze Fers Erzen and Sam Tamborski, and freshman Mohamed Neuman — were first-team Scholar All-Americans. This honor recognizes students who achieved a grade point average of 3.50 or higher and were invited to their respective national championship.
Seniors Steve Fiolic and Thelma Strandberg, juniors Jonatan Posligua and Claire Park, sophomore Mateusz Arndt, and freshmen Sergey Kuznetsov, Preston Planells, and Millie Sansome were honorable-mention Scholar All-Americans. These student-athletes have achieved a GPA of 3.50 or higher and achieved a “B” time standard or competed at an NCAA Zone Diving qualifier.
Drake, an industrial engineering major from Marion, Iowa, was a CSCAA All-American in the 200-yard butterfly as a junior. The Iowa women’s team MVP was an NCAA qualifier in the 100 fly, 200 fly, and 200 IM. She set school records in the 200 fly and 400-medley relay during the 2019-20 season. It is the third Scholar All-America honor of Drake’s career.
Swanepoel, a mechanical engineering major from Cape Town, Africa, was a CSCAA All-American in the 200 breaststroke as a junior. The Iowa team MVP qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 breast, 200 breast, and 200 IM, and he set the school record in the 200 breast (1:53.53).
Fers Erzen, a health and human physiology major from Ljbljana, Slovenia, was a CSCAA All-American in the 200-backstroke as a sophomore. The Iowa team MVP was an NCAA qualifier in three events — 200 back, 200 IM, 400 IM — last season, setting school records in all three events.
Tamborski, a political science major from Castle Rock, Colorado, was a CSCAA All-American off the 3-meter as a sophomore. The Iowa diving team MVP was a two-time Big Ten Diver of the Week selection last season and she was an ‘A’ finalist at the Big Ten Championships.
Neuman, a business major from Alexandria, Egypt, earned CSCAA All-America honors off the 3-meter and platform as a freshman. The Wentworth “Lobby” Award recipient scored in all three events at the 2020 Big Ten Championships.
Fiolic, a computer science and engineering major from Urbandale, Iowa, earned his second career honor after posting an NCAA “B” cut time in the 50 free, while Posligua, an astronomy major from Guayaquil, Ecuador, earned his third honor after competing in NCAA Zones off the platform. Arndt, a health and human physiology major from Gdynia, Poland, earned his second career honor after swimming a “B” standard in the 500 free, Kuznetsov, an art major from Espoo, Finland, posted NCAA “B” standards in the 50 free and 100 fly, while Planells, an open major from Upland, California, posted an NCAA “B” qualifying standard in the 200 back.
Strandberg, an enterprise leadership major from Kristiansand, Norway, was a Zone qualifier off the platform as a senior, while Park, an elementary education major from Bettendorf, Iowa, was a Zone qualifier off the 1-meter and 3-meter. Sansome, a health and human physiology major from Marlow, England, posted NCAA “B” cuts in the 100 and 200 back.
Collectively, both the men’s and women’s teams were named a CSCAA Scholar All-America team during the 2020 spring semester.
CSCAA First-Team Scholar All-Americans
Kelsey Drake
Anze Fers Erzen
Mohamed Neuman
Daniel Swanepoel
Sam Tamborski
CSCAA Honorable Mention Scholar All-Americans
Mateusz Arndt
Steve Fiolic
Sergey Kuznetsov
Claire Park
Preston Planells
Jonatan Posligua
Millie Sansome
Thelma Strandberg