Six Winter Athletes Named Academic All-Stars
PHILADELPHIA – Swarthmore center Ian McCormick (Seattle, Wash. / University Prep) was named Philadelphia Inquirer Men’s Basketball Academic Performer of the Year by the Philadelphia-Area Sports Information Directors Association (Philly-SIDA). He was joined by Swarthmore swimmers Doug Gilchrist-Scott (Canton, Ohio / Hoover), John Heagy (Coraopolis, Pa. / Sewickley Academy), Allie Jordan (Niskayuna, N.Y.), Jennie Lewis (Darien, Conn. / Darien) and Stephen Shymon (San Diego, Calif. / Univ. of San Diego) as winter Academic All-Stars.
In order to be eligible for the All-Area team, an athlete must be of sophomore athletic standing, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, and be a starter or key reserve. Ballots for the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Teams, which sponsored six teams (men’s at-large, women’s at-large, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s swimming and women’s swimming) this winter, were compiled and voted upon by the 28 Philadelphia-Area Sports Information Directors Association (Philly-SIDA) and the results were printed in the April 20 edition of the paper.
McCormick, a senior, (pictured right) started all 25 games this season and became the first Centennial player to average 20 points per game (20.6 per game) and also grab 10 rebounds per game (10.2 per game) in the same season. He was named First Team All-Centennial, Second Team ECAC South Region All-Star, and was selected for the John McAdams Philadelphia-Area Small College Coaches Association All-Star team. McCormick posted career-highs in seven categories: points (516), rebounds (254) blocks (71), assists (55), field-goal percentage (48.1%), three-pointers (25), and made free throws (113). He ranked second in the Conference in points per game and rebounds, while finishing third in blocks per game (2.8) and fourth in three-point field-goal percentage (42.4%).
McCormick put together the best career by a Swarthmore post player, setting a new school record for blocks in a season (71) while breaking the career records for rebounds (797) and blocks (193). He is the first male player in Swarthmore history and third in Conference history, to accumulate 1,500 points and 700 rebounds in a career. His single-season totals for points and rebounds both rank second all-time for Garnet men’s basketball.
McCormick has received a handful of honors for his play, on and off the court. He was twice named Conference Player of the Week and to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week, and received the Sam Cozen Award from the Philadelphia-area Small College Coaches Association. The economics major was also named to ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District second team.
McCormick is the seventh Swarthmore student-athlete overall (second in 2007-08) to be named Academic Performer of the Year, joining Vernon Chaplin ’07 (cross country/track & field), Reuben Heyman-Kantor ’06 (men’s soccer), Frank Mazzucco ’08 (men’s lacrosse), Cait Mullarkey ’09 (women’s soccer) and Eric Zwick ’07 (golf).
Click here for the complete men's basketball team (pdf).
Gilchrist-Scott, a junior, (pictured left) makes his second appearance on the Academic All-Area Men’s Swimming & Diving Team. The team captain was the sprint champion at the 2008 Centennial Conference Championships, winning the gold medal in the 50-yard freestyle and captured five bronze medals in the following events: 200-yard medley relay, 200-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard medley relay and the 100-yard freestyle at the Centennial Conference Championships. Gilchrist-Scott also broke school records in 50- and 100-yard freestyle at the Championships; he now owns the top time in five events at Swarthmore (200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay).
While not making waves in Ware Pool, Gilchrist-Scott is extremely active on campus. He serves as the Committee Chair for both the Orientation and Large Scale Events while serving as treasurer for the College Democrats. A resident assistant, Gilchrist-Scott also participates in the following organizations: Habitat for Humanity, Serving Homeless in Philadelphia and is a volunteer translator for the Swarthmore for Immigrants Rights. Gilchrist-Scott also gives his time as a chemistry teaching assistant and a student academic mentor.
Heagy, a senior captain, has multiple top-ten times on the 2007-08 Centennial Conference list. The economics major collected a bronze medal at the Centennial Championships in the 400-yard freestyle relay, swimming the breaststroke leg.
Jordan, a junior backstroke specialist, (pictured left) earns her second selection to the Academic All-Area Women’s Swimming & Diving Team. Jordan, a psychology major, captured three silver medals in 2008 Conference Championships in 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard backstroke and 400 medley relay while picking up a bronze in the 200-yard medley relay. Jordan also set two school records during the Championships, recording top times in the 50- and 100-yard backstroke events.
Lewis, a senior captain, competed in her first NCAA Championship meet this season and earned All-America status in the 100-yard butterfly while setting a new college record (57.36). previously held by both Lewis and teammate Anne Miller ’10 set at the Centennial Championships in February were the two tied for a gold medal. Lewis, a statistics major with a minor in psychology, tied teammate Anne Miller ’10 for the gold in the 100 butterfly at the Conference Championships, picked up a silver medal in the 200-yard freestyle relay, and earned two bronze medals in the 200-yard butterfly and medley relay events.
Shymon, a junior biology major, also earned a second selection to the Academic All-Area team. In 200708, he fought threw an early-season injury to earn two silver medals at the Centennial Championships in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle events. At the Championship meet, the long-distance freestyler swam the second-fastest 500-yard freestyle time of his career (4:45.98).
Click here for the men's swimming and diving team (pdf).
Click here for the women's swimming and diving team (pdf).