The Canisius College men's and women's swimming and diving teams were each presented the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Team Scholar All-American Award for the Fall 2011 semester on Feb. 24, celebrating their success in the pool and in the classroom.

"I am very proud of the hard work and dedication our student-athletes have when it comes their work in the classroom," said head coach Scott Vanderzell. "We stress the importance of academics and we are very proud of this national recognition."

Recipients of last year's award for the Fall 2010 semester, both the men's and women's teams improved their cumulative grade point average this time around.

The Canisius men made a significant improvement of their cumulative GPA from last year's squad. This season, the Golden Griffins improved their GPA by three-tenths from 3.02 to 3.32. The Golden Griffins' cumulative GPA placed them ninth overall in the nation.

This year, the Golden Griffin women recorded a cumulative GPA of 3.32, an improvement over last year's team GPA of 3.31. 

To be eligible for the CSCAA national honor, a team must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

In addition to this team honor, a total of 12 members of the men's and women's teams were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team, including seven women and five men.

To date, the Golden Griffins recorded one of their most successful seasons this past year. In their 2011-12 campaign, the Griffs finished with two MAAC individual champions, broke a combined 26 school records at the MAAC Championship, earned the MAAC diving coach of the year honor, and posted their best finish in MAAC Championship history for both teams.