Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Four swimmers earn Academic All-MAC honors
04/07/2010 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
April 7, 2010
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Following Southern Illinois' fifth-place finish at the 2010 Mid-American Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, four Saluki swimmers have been named to the Academic All-MAC Team for this year.
Christopher Gaffney, Matt Kruse, Jameson Kuper and Matt Parsons represent Southern Illinois in receiving this honor, as the MAC office made the official announcement Tuesday. The four swimmers achieved impressive accomplishments in the pool and in the classroom during the 2009-10 season, SIU's first year as a member of the conference.
Gaffney, a senior from Delran, N.J., holds a 3.31 GPA in physical education. He recorded nine finishes inside the top-five this season, on his way to finishing fourth overall in the 100 breast at the MAC Championships.
Kruse, a sophomore from Fishers, Ind., maintains a 3.79 GPA as an aviation flight major. Also a first team All-MAC selection, Kruse was the conference champion in the 200 free as well as a part of the 800 free relay team that set a new pool record at the championships hosted by Eastern Michigan.
Kuper, a senior from Cape Girardeau, Mo., has a 3.45 GPA in mathematics. He also earned first team All-MAC honors for his first-place finish in the 100 breast at the championships, when he posted a new career-best time.
Parsons, a sophomore from Brisbane, Australia, holds a 3.66 GPA majoring in political science. Parsons was named to the All-MAC first team after being a part of SIU's record-breaking 800 free relay team at the championships.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.
Players Mentioned
