GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Eight standout student-athletes from the Colorado Mesa University swimming & diving programs have been named to the 2024-25 NCAA Division II Academic All-District® teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, which recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in the pool and in the classroom.
 
The Mavericks' selections were Gavin Anderson, Austin Patterson, Jacob Troescher and Dejan Urbanek on the men's side plus Sophia Bains, Kiara Borchardt, Kenya Meyer and Ada Qunell on the women's side.
 
All eight have also been placed on the ballot for first, second and third-team Academic All-America® honors, which will be voted on by CSC members and announced on Apr. 23.
 
To be eligible for nomination for Academic All-District® honors, student-athletes must have a 3.50 or higher GPA and have competed in five meets or record a top-eight finish at their conference championship meet.  However, institutions are limited to four men's and four women's nominations and the selected Mavericks far exceed those minimum requirements.
 
Anderson, a graduate student from Sycamore, Illinois, has a 4.00 GPA in his master's of business administrationQ program and completed his bachelor's degree in accounting with a 3.90 GPA.  He is a returning Third Team Academic All-American® and was voted on to the RMAC All-Academic First Team in each of the last four years.  He qualified for the his fourth straight NCAA Division II Championship meet this year, competing in the 500, 1000 and 1650-yard freestyle events.
 
Patterson, a senior from Houston, Texas, holds a 3.69 GPA while majoring in exercise science and earned CSCAA All-America honors on relays at this year's national championships, raising his career total to four.  He also earned four First Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors, anchoring the Mavs to the win in the 400-yard freestyle relay after taking second in the 50 Free, 100 Free and 100 Butterfly individual events.
 
Troescher, a senior from Boise, Idaho, holds a 3.79 GPA in his computer science program and qualified for his fourth straight NCAA Championship meet this year, earning his first two career CSCAA All-America honors in the 500 and 1,000 freestyle after leading the season-long RMAC performance lists in both the 1000 and 1,650 freestyle events.  He has now been selected to the Academic All-District® Team three straight times and was named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team for the third straight season as well.
 
Urbanek, a senior from Novi Sad, Serbia, holds a 3.87 GPA and is majoring in computer science.  He was named as the RMAC Men's Swimming & Diving Academic Athlete of the Year and is returning Second Team Academic All-American®.  He claimed all-America honors in three events this year and finishes his career as a 15-time all-American.  Urbanek also won five RMAC titles this year, sweeping the 100 and 200 Butterfly titles for the fourth straight year and claimed 16 RMAC Championship gold medals in his CMU career.
 
Bains, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colorado, holds a 3.94 GPA and is majoring in political science.  She was selected to the RMAC All-Academic First Team for the second straight season and qualified for third straight NCAA Division II Championship final in the 400 individual medley this season, placing sixth.

She earned CSCAA All-America honors in all four of her events at the NCAA Championships and won seven total honors throughout her career.  She also swept the RMAC titles in both the 200 and 400 individual medley events this season.
 
Borchardt, a junior from Eagle River, Alaska, holds a 3.84 GPA and is majoring in exercise science.  She was named as a First Team Academic All-American® by the CSC last year and was a repeat selection on the RMAC All-Academic First Team after being tabbed as the 2023-24 RMAC Women's Swimming & Diving Academic Athlete of the Year.  She helped the Mavs successfully defend their NCAA title in the 400 Medley Relay and earned her seventh, eighth and ninth career all-America honors this season.  She also won thee RMAC titles, including the 100 Fly individual crown this season, and is now an 8-time RMAC Champion.
 
Meyer, a junior diver from Bozeman, Montana, was picked as this season's RMAC Academic Athlete of the Year and holds a 3.87 GPA while majoring in exercise science.  She was also tabbed as the RMAC Women's Diver of the Year after earning CSCAA All-America honors with a seventh place finish in the 3-meter event at the national championships.
 
Meyer also won both the 1 and 3-meter events at the RMAC Championships, and set a CMU school, El Pomar Natatorium and RMAC Championship record of 541.70 points on the 3-meter.  She also received RMAC Women's Diver of the Meet honors at the RMAC Championships for the third straight year, winning this year's award outright after sharing with teammates in the previous two years.  She has four gold and two silver medals in her six career RMAC Championship events.
 
Qunell, a junior from Whitefish, Montana, sports a 3.88 GPA and is majoring in exercise science.  She was a Second Team CSC Academic All-American last year.
 
Qunell won her fourth NCAA Division II title as the anchor leg on the Mavs' 400 Medley Relay team this year ad helped the Mavs place amongst the nation's top four in all four of her relay events this year, raising her career all-America total to 13.    She also won four RMAC titles this year and is an 11-time RMAC Champion in her three years with the Mavs.
 
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes men's swimming & diving honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.