COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Simmons University's Áine Scholand (Albuquerque, N.M.) has been named All-America by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America for the 2019-20 season, it was announced by the CSCAA.
Due to the cancellation of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, the CSCAA Board adjusted the selection criteria for each Division. The result was an unprecedented number of selections in what is largely acknowledged as unprecedented circumstances. Greg Earhart, Executive Director explained that the Board of Directors sought to not penalize any student-athlete who had not had the opportunity to compete for a spot on the All-American team. "Our sport is replete with previously-unheralded swimmers and divers who have gone on not just to All-America honors, but also to national championships and Olympic Team spots." This isn't the first time the association adjusted All-America criteria. The first CSCAA All-America team was published in 1924, thirteen years before the first men's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship. The first women's All-America team was published in 1975, seven years prior to the first NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championship. During much of that time, the team was selected by a panel of coaches. In 1985 the honor was standardized around the NCAA Championships with the top eight finalists receiving first-team recognition and consolation finalists being named Honorable Mention.
"Despite the cancellation of the NCAA Championships, Coach (Mindy) Williams did a remarkable job this season," explained Greg Earhart, Executive Director of the CSCAA. Aine had the rug pulled out from her this season, so we are excited to recognize her as one of the nation's best."
Scholand earns All-America honors for the third straight year after qualifying for the NCAA Championship in the 1650-yard freestyle and is the only student-athlete in school history to be named an All-American three times. The New Mexico native's winning time of 17:05.81 at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association Championship on February 16 ranked as the 10th-fastest in NCAA Division III this season.
The Sandia High School product was the top scorer at the NEISDA Championship for the third straight year and received the Bruce Hutchinson Award as the Swimmer of the Meet for the second time in three years to join Miriam Swisher (2013-17) as the only student-athletes in school annals to earn the honor more than once. She helped Simmons to a runner-up team finish with three individual first place finishes at the NEISDA Championship meet. The senior also contributed to a trio of relay wins for the Sharks and a second-place showing to attain All-NEISDA status in the maximum seven events. Scholand's trio of victories made her the only swimmer in school history to win all three of her individual events in three different years. She won the 1650-yard freestyle by more than 84 seconds and also won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:59.30 to win by more than 21 seconds. Scholand won her third distance event with a mark of 10:15.75 to capture the 1000-yard freestyle by more than 48 seconds. The Co-Captain opened the winning 800-yard freestyle for the Sharks and helped them post a time of 7:57.48 to go with a winning mark of 3:35.32 in the 400-yard freestyle relay that she swam third in. She again swam third in the 200-yard freestyle relay to contribute to the team's first-place time of 1:39.26 and helped Simmons place second in the 400-yard medley relay as the opening backstroke leg to combine on a time of 4:02.78. The Neuroscience and Behavior major was one of the most dominant distance swimmers in the nation this season, posting an undefeated record in all freestyle races more than 500 yards, including three entries in the 1650-yard freestyle and seven starts in the 1000-yard freestyle. Scholand also won five of six 500-yard freestyle races as part of 20 wins for the year and 25 top-three finishes. In addition, she had three first-place efforts in the 100-yard backstroke, including a victory at the GNAC Championship to begin the month of February to go with a win in the 200-yard freestyle and a second-place showing in the 100-yard butterfly at the conference title meet. In addition to four GNAC Women's Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week honors this season, Scholand was named the NEISDA Co-Athlete of the Week for the week of November 4-10.
Prior to this season, Scholand was named All-America in each of the last two seasons, earning First Team accolades as a sophomore and Honorable Mention recognition last year. She has also been selected the GNAC Women's Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year in both years with the Sharks and is the only competitor in school history to compete in three different events at the NCAA Championship in one season (2019). Scholand owns three individual school records in the 1650, 1000 and 500-yard freestyle and helped Simmons establish a school standard in the 800-yard freestyle relay, while owning three all-time individual NEISDA Championship standards and five individual GNAC Championship marks. Scholand, who transferred to Simmons from Division I University of Evansville prior to her sophomore campaign, has been nothing but dominant in distances of 1000-yards or more, having won all 19 races in the 1000 during her career as well as 10 of 12 entries in the 1650 with her only two losses coming following a second-place showing at the 2018 NCAA Championship and an ninth-place finish at the NCAA meet in 2019. Not to be outdone, she has also been a force in the 500-yard freestyle winning 16 of 21 races as part of 67 total victories during her tenure including wins in the 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 1650-freestyle, the 100 and 200-yard backstroke and the 100-yard butterfly.
Simmons finished the season with a 6-5 record in dual meets to record its eighth straight campaign with a winning record, while capturing its 16th straight GNAC Championship. The Sharks have also won the NEISDA crown in two of the last three years after placing second this season and received an invitation to compete at the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season.