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Howells Named Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year
April 14, 2016 07:07 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Junior Nathan Howells of the West Virginia University swimming team was named the 2015-16 Big 12 Men’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year, announced on Thursday.
“It's an honor for our program and Nathan (Howells),” said WVU coach Vic Riggs. “This is the men's team's third Scholar-Athlete of the Year award since joining the Big 12 Conference, and we're very proud of that. It's a great tradition for our program to strive for each year.”
Majoring in biochemistry, Howells has maintained a 3.90 grade point average while balancing the commitment of being a Division I student-athlete.
Howells is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 Swimming and Diving Team honoree, representing with a 4.00 GPA in 2015 after also sporting a perfect GPA as a member of the 2014 Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team.
This marks the third Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the men's team and fourth overall for the WVU swimming and diving program in the four years it has been in the Big 12. Liam McLaughlin earned the honor in 2012-13, and David Palley and Haily VandePoel were recognized in 2014-15.
The Big 12 Conference established its Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award in 2012-13. A recipient is named in each of the Conference’s sponsored sports. Each Big 12 institution nominates one individual per sport with the winners selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches for that sport, who are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
The Scholar-Athlete must be a junior or senior (athletic and academic standing), have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher, participate in at least 60 percent of the team’s scheduled contests and reside at the institution for a minimum of one year.
Nathan Howells of @WVUSwimDive is the #Big12SD Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year with a 3.90 GPA in biochemistry. pic.twitter.com/v3cggz8sid
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) April 14, 2016
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