Courtesy: Cleveland State Athletics
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Horizon League announced the Raise Your Sights award winners for the 2021-22 academic year Tuesday afternoon, with the men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams earning the accolades for Cleveland State.
COMPLETE LIST OF RAISE YOUR SIGHTS AWARD WINNERS
The Raise Your Sights Award is presented annually by the Horizon League to the top academic male and female teams from each league institution that compete in a league-sponsored sport.
Head Coach Hannah Burandt’s women’s swimming & diving team posted a 3.67 GPA for the 2021-22 academic year, while the men’s swimming & diving team finished with a 3.41 GPA for the year.
Coach Burandt said, “Our team has grown in its accountability beyond the pool to raise the standard of what they strive to achieve in the classroom. To receive this honor is truly a reflection of their values, goals, and one team, one family support of one another.”
The Vikings had the lone swimming teams to appear on the Raise Your Sights list this year.
The men’s team finished as the runner-up at the Horizon League Championships, winning two individual #HLSD titles from Timothy Kubacki (200 IM) and Jackson Nester (400 IM) and one relay title from Dominik Niedzialek, Griffin Manning, Bob Fick, and Paddy Johnston (400 Medley).
For his efforts, Kubacki was named the 2022 Horizon League Athlete of the Year, while he was joined by Fick, Johnson, Nester, and Manning in posting NCAA B-standard times throughout the season.
The women’s team placed fifth at the Horizon League Championships, winning one individual #HLSD title by sophomore, Ana Sofia Sousa in the 200-yard freestyle.
Sousa’s win in the 200 Free marked one of seven top-five individual event finishes for the Vikings, as she was joined by Rachel Contich (500 Free, 200 Free), Kellsie Krisch (400 IM, 200 Breast), Lauren Lewis (400 IM), and Madison Taker (200 Fly) with podium finishes. In addition, Cleveland State had three relays finish in the top-five at the #HLSD Championships.