SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - The Mount Holyoke College swimming and diving team was honored for its outstanding work in the classroom once again as six student-athletes were tabbed to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Winter Academic All-Conference Team.
This year's honorees include sophomore Delany Berry (Collinsville, Conn./Canton), senior captains Emily Craig (Rochester, N.Y./Gates-Chili) and Anne Kuenning (Bow, N.H./Bow), juniors Amy Lim (San Francisco, Calif./Lowell) and Rachel Polfer (Maitland, Fla./Lake Highland Prepatory School), senior Katie Tyler (Hadley, Mass./Hopkins Academy) and junior Cailin Van Nevel (Gaithersburg, Md./Poolesville).
It marks the third consecutive NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honor for Craig, Kuenning and Tyler. Additionally, it's the second honor for Lim, Polfer and Van Nevel.
The Lyons have had a strong academic presence this season, earning College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American team status following the 2016 fall semester. MHC was one of 638 teams (151 Division III) across all divisions to be honored.
Mount Holyoke was second among the eight NEWMAC institutions recognized, trailing only MIT which posted the top GPA of 3.72 among all Division III women's teams. In the spring of 2016, the Lyons posted a 3.67 – which earned them the seventh overall spot. During the fall of 2015, the Lyons boasted the top GPA amongst Division III women with a 3.79.
Under the direction of longtime head coach Dave Allen, the Lyons posted a 2-8 record in dual meet action. MHC also finished seventh at the Hamilton Invitational in December, fourth at the Seven Sisters Championship and ninth at the NEWMAC Championships.
Among the highlights to the 2016-17 season were first year diver Samantha Nemivant (Scottsdale, Ariz./Notre Dame Prep), who finished fourth off both boards at Seven Sisters, was top-10 at the NEWMAC meet. She also qualified for the NCAA Division III Northeast-North Diving Regionals, placing 19th off the 1-meter.
