March 8, 2013

AMHERST, Mass. - The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its Swimming and Diving Academic All-Conference Team, Thursday, March 7. The teams are made up of student-athletes who have not only excelled in the pool, but also in the classroom. To be nominated individuals must have a GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale) for their entire academic career. Troy Nichols, Chris Inglis, Alexander Merkulov and Michael Glenn were all named to the men's Academic All-Conference squad while Michaela Butler is the lone member of the Minutewomen to be recognized.

The Minutemen's four Academic All-Conference recipients is the most the team has received in one season since 2003 when five UMass men were named.

Nichols, a native of Clifton Park, N.Y. boasts an outstanding 3.943 GPA through five semesters at UMass, while holding a double-major in political science and finance. The junior finished seventh in the 200-yard backstroke and 15th in the 200-yard freestyle at the 2013 Atlantic 10 Championships.

Inglis, had a few great swims at the 2013 A-10 Championships including a record breaking one in the 200-yard freestyle. The Mashpee, Mass. native beat his own conference and school record with a blistering fast NCAA B standard time of 1:36.80. He also finished 10th in the 500-yard freestyle and 13th in the 1650-yard freestyle. Inglis is a chemical engineering major with a cumulative GPA of 3.723.

Merkulov, a senior diver for the Minutemen, left the 2013 A-10 Championships medaling in both the one- and three-meter diving events. In the one-meter he took the bronze medal with a score of 262.60 and in the three-meter took silver with a score of 310.30. The Westfield, Mass. native had season-high scores of 329.70 in the three- and 301.15 in the one-meter. Merkulov is microbiology major and has a 3.641 GPA throughout his seven semesters at UMass.

Glenn, a native of Overland Park, Kan., is named to the academic team in his first semester of eligibility. The breaststroker is pre-med and owns a GPA of 3.767. At the 2013 A-10 Championships, Glenn picked up silver medals in both the 200-yard breaststroke and the 400-yard IM, with times of 2:00.93 and 3:56.01, respectively.

Butler, the lone recipient on the women's team, finished off her second-consecutive undefeated season with gold medals in both the one- and three-meter dives. The Dennisport, Mass. native was also named 2013 A-10 Diver of the Year for the second-straight year. She broke all of the UMass diving records this season, posting school-best scores of 295.90 in the one-meter and 347.75 in the three-meter. Butler has a 3.536 GPA while majoring in kinesiology.

Both Merkulov and Butler will head to the NCAA Zone A Diving Meet held on the campus of Virginia Tech from March 15-17.