CMS Women's Swimming and Diving Has 11 Honored with All-America Distinction

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America announced its NCAA Division III All-Americans this morning, and 11 members of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's swimming and diving team were chosen for the prestigious award.

Due to the cancelation of the NCAA Division III Championships in March, the CSCAA bestowed All-America disinction to all athletes who qualified for the nationals but did not get to compete. The list of Athenas to end their seasons with All-America distinction include first-year Ella Blake (1650 free, 800 free relay), junior Christina Campbell (800 free relay), first-year Gracey Hiebert (1650 free), sophomore Augusta Lewis (200 breast, 200 IM, 400 IM, 400 free relay, 400 medley relay, 800 free relay), junior Stephanie Lewis (200 medley relay), first-year Jameson Mitchum (100 back, 200 back, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 800 free relay), junior Natalia Orbach-Mandel (200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay, 400 medley relay), sophomore Ava Sealander (100 fly, 200 fly, 50 free, 200 free relay, 400 medley melay), first-year Suzanne Starzyk (200 free relay, 200 medley relay), junior Janet Tran (200 free relay, 400 free relay) and junior Allie Umemoto (400 free relay). 

Augusta Lewis led the way for the Athenas by earning All-America honors in six different events, while Sealander and Mitchum each earned five and Orbach-Mandel was a four-time winner. Lewis, who has won the SCIAC Swimmer of the Year Award in each of her first two seasons, swept her three individual events at this year's SCIAC Championships (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 breast) and ranked in the top seven nationally in all three events, including fourth in the 400 IM, giving her national championship aspirations before the event was canceled. 

Sealander also had a big sophomore season which saw her repeat as a SCIAC Champion in the 100 fly. She also earned an individual qualification in the 50 free with top-15 times in both events, and was scheduled to swim the 200 fly at nationals as well, while handling the butterfly leg of the two medley relays.

Mitchum, who did not compete for the Athenas in the fall due to injury, had a big spring semester which culminated in her winning the 200 back at the SCIAC Championships in program-record time, earning her the No. 8 seed heading into nationals. In addition to swimming both backstroke events, and handling the backstroke leg of the medley relays, she was also part of the 800-yard freestyle relay team which set a school record at the SCIAC Championships. 

Orbach-Mandel's role as a relay anchor was going to keep her busy at the 2020 NCAA Championships, as she was going to swim in four different relays, the 200 free, the 200 medley, the 400 free and the 400 medley. She was All-SCIAC in both the 100 free, where she came in second place, and the 200 free, where she finished third. 

Blake was the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year after winning both the 200 free and the 500 free at the SCIAC Championships. She almost won all three of her events, but Hiebert took the 1650 with Blake in a close second, as both first-years earned qualifying times for the NCAA Championships in their first collegiate seasons. Blake was also part of the CMS-record setting 800 free relay team that was looking to make the finals at the NCAAs last month, as was Campbell, a new addition to the Athenas this year, who earned individual All-SCIAC honors in the 200 back while capturing top-five finishes in the 200 and 500 free. 

Starzyk and Tran were both slated to swim in two relay events. Tran qualified for the nationals last year with two CMS relay teams and reached the individual finals in three events at SCIACs (100 fly, 50 free, 100 free), while Starzyk was fourth in both the 100 breast and the 50 free at SCIACs, and was going to compete in the 200 free relay and the 200 medley relay in the breaststroke. 

Stephanie Lewis earned All-America honors for the first time in her career, as she had qualified with the 200 medley relay team, thanks to her fast 50-yard splits in the backstroke. Umemoto, who was an honorable mention All-America last year with the 800 free relay team, earned her way back to nationals after studying abroad in the fall as part of the 400 free relay. 

As a team, CMS captured the SCIAC Championship for the first time since 2017 with a convincing 100-point win over Pomona-Pitzer. Although the 11 Athenas who qualified for nationals were denied the chance to compete, all 11 return next year as CMS will be poised to make a strong run at a high finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships.