Mullowney draws Academic All-District laurel behind athletic and academic success
COLCHESTER, Vt. - Recently graduated Saint Michael's College women's swimming and tennis student-athlete Eileen Mullowney (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) continued her run of postseason laurels on Thursday, being named to the Capital One NCAA Division II Academic All-District 1 At-Large team. Mullowney was one of 12 honored on the At-Large squad, which considers student-athletes from 13 different sports.
Candidates, who are chosen due to their athletic and academic prowess, are voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The selections, including Mullowney, now advance to the Academic All-America national ballot, which will be voted upon later this month. She is believed to be the first representative from either of her programs to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
A two-time Northeast-10 Conference Academic All-Conference selection for swimming & diving, Mullowney has her name on 10 school records and completed her career with eight all-league finishes. She was honored as the Women's Swimmer of the Meet at this year's New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association (NEISDA) Championship after sweeping the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle events, a feat she also turned at the NE-10 Championship two weeks prior. The College's candidate for NCAA Woman of the Year, the captain met NCAA Championship qualifying standards in three events this year while being named CollegeSwimming.com's National Swimmer of the Week on Feb. 9.
On the tennis court, Mullowney appeared in 10 matches, helping the Purple Knights go 13-8 overall and 10-3 in the NE-10 while earning an NCAA regional ranking. She was 6-4 in doubles, making five appearances in the No. 1 position while going 3-1 in the second slot, and went a perfect 3-0 in singles. The Purple Knights reached the NE-10 Tournament semifinals each of Mullowney's four years, and the NCAA Tournament twice.
To be nominated for the Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore in academic standing, possess at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or significant reserve. The NCAA Division II District 1 consists of members of the NE-10, Central Athletic Collegiate Conference, and East Coast Conference.
This is the first year of the expanded Academic All-America program, as CoSIDA moved away from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non-Division I) and aims to double the number of scholar-athlete honorees. There are now four teams, one apiece lauding NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools.