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2015 Pac-12 Men's Swimming Championships

March 4-7 | TV: 3/6-8 on Pac-12 Networks

Arizona's Cordes named Pac-12 Men's Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Mar 7, 2015
Arizona men's swimming Kevin Cordes
Chuckarelei

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - The Pac-12 Conference named Kevin Cordes of ARIZONA as the 2015 Pac-12 Men’s Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced today. The award has been established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

In the pool, Cordes has established himself as one of the best swimmers in UA history, earning four individual NCAA titles, five individual Pac-12 titles and 11 All-America honors in his four years with the Wildcats. A standout breaststroke swimmer, Cordes has earned both NCAA and Pac-12 Men’s Swimmer of the Year honors in 2013 and 2014. The Naperville, Ill., native also owns the American, U.S. Open and NCAA short course records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, and has won gold medals with Team USA in the Short Course World Championships, the AT&T U.S. Winter National Championships, and the FINA World Swimming Championships. Outside of competition, the senior has recorded a 3.38 grade point average, majoring in finance. He was named a Capital One Academic All-American and CSCAA Scholar All-American in 2013, also earning second team Pac-12 All-Academic honors. 

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 22 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling.

The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards were established during the 2007-08 academic year.

Other nominees included Zac Dalby of ARIZONA STATE, Fabio Gimondi of CALIFORNIA, Thomas Stephens of STANFORD, Cristian Quintero of USC, and Alex Fernandes of UTAH.