UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's swimming and diving team earned a national academic honor, it was announced on Tuesday, as the Cardinals are set to open the 2020-21 season this Saturday in Holland, Mich.

SVSU was named a College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America's Scholar All-America team for the Fall of 2020.

"Our student-athletes showed an amazing level of resiliency and perseverance during a difficult semester," SVSU swimming and diving head coach Jason Lintjer said. "I'm very proud of our women's team and how they performed academically."

The 19 qualifying Cardinal student-athletes finished the Fall 2020 semester with a combined grade point average of 3.30. In total, 77 NCAA Division II women's swimming and diving programs qualified for the honor.

The CSCAA recognizes Scholar All-America Teams for both the Fall and Winter Semesters.  In order to qualify, teams must be current CSCAA members, have achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and be nominated by a current CSCAA member or their designee by the entry deadline.

The full list of all CSCAA Scholar All-America Teams is available HERE.         

Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), is the nation's first organization of college coaches. The mission of the CSCAA is to advance the sport of swimming and diving with coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development.