Four Cougars Earn CSCAA Scholar All-American Honors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 9, 2020) – Four members of the Washington State Women's Swimming Team received CSCAA Scholar All-American accolades, the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) announced recently.

Seniors-to-be Mackenzie Duarte, Chloe Larson and Taylor McCoy along with junior-to-be Lauren Burckel each received CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention. The award recognizes student-athletes who achieved a grade-point-average of 3.5 of higher and were invited to compete at a postseason National Championship event. All four qualified and competed at the CSCAA National Invitational.

Burckel earns the same honor for the second straight year after posting a 4.00 GPA this past spring and 3.83 GPA for the school year while majoring in biology. The Albuquerque, N.M. native had a breakout sophomore campaign, finishing second on the team with five individual wins, broke the school-record in the 100 breast at the Pac-12 Conference Championships and competed at the CSCAA National Invitational. Burckel was named to the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll this past spring and qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100 breast and 200 breast last summer.

Duarte earns her first career Scholar All-America accolade after posting a 3.55 GPA this past spring while majoring in kinesiology and qualified for the CSCAA National Invitational. The Walnut Creek, Calif. native tallied a pair of individual wins this past season in the 200 breast including against No. 31 UCLA. Duarte posted a U.S. Olympic Trial qualifying time in the 200 breast at the U.S. Open last winter in Atlanta and also recorded an "NCAA B" time in the 200 breast at the Pac-12 Conference Championships this past spring.

Larson earns her first career Scholar All-America honor after posting a 4.00 GPA this past spring and a 3.74 GPA for the school year while majoring in sport science. The Rapid City, S.D. native recorded three individual wins in the 50 freestyle, helped a pair of relay teams to wins and was a member of the school-record setting 400 free relay team at the Pac-12 Conference Championships. Larson earned a trip to the CSCAA National Invitational in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly and closed the year earning a spot on the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.

McCoy earns Scholar All-America Honorable Mention for the second straight year after producing a 3.93 GPA this past spring and a 3.89 GPA for the school year while majoring in political science. The Pullman, Wash. native tallied three individual wins this past season, posted CSCAA National Invitational qualifying times in the 100 back, 200 IM and 50 back and recorded "NCAA B" times in the 200 back and 400 IM. McCoy, who recorded a U.S. Olympic Trial time in the 200 back last summer, closed the spring earning a spot on the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.

In his two seasons at Washington State, head coach Matt Leach has seen seven swimmers earn CSCAA Scholar All-American honors after three did so last year. As a team, WSU has earned CSCAA Scholar All-America Team honors in all four semesters since Leach arrived in Pullman in the fall of 2018.