Ball State University Athletics
Men's Swimming & Diving Places Five on Academic All-MAC Team
March 25, 2005 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Muncie, Ind. -- Five members - - Kurtis Leer (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble H.S.), Joshua Schum (Mt. Vernon, Ind./Mt. Vernon H.S.), Ryan Plantz (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.), Ritchie Caudill (Muncie, Ind./Burris H.S.) and Jim Lullo (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central H.S.) - - of the Ball State men’s swimming & diving team have been named to the 2005 Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team, as voted by faculty athletic representatives of the five MAC institutions that compete in men’s swimming. A total of 17 student-athletes were named to the team. The number of honorees is set for the specific sport or 33% of the total number of nominees, whichever is greater.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
Leer - - a junior physics major with a 3.50 GPA - - was a three-time MAC Champion at the 2005 league meet. He captured first place in the 50 freestyle (20.36), the 100 freestyle (44.75) and the 200 freestyle (1:39.04). Leer’s time in the 200 freestyle was a school record, while his 100 freestyle clocking is the second-fastest individual time in school annals and his 50 freestyle time is the third best. A two-time MAC Swimmer of the Week during the season, Leer was named First Team All-MAC for his performance at the league championship meet. Leer, a two-time Academic All-MAC selection, competed in all 10 meets for the Cardinals, posting 23 first-place swims on the year.
Schum - - a junior urban planning major with a 3.62 GPA - - earned Second Team All-MAC accolades after finishing sixth in the 200 freestyle (1:42.22), seventh in the 100 freestyle (46.56) and eighth in the 50 freestyle (21.12) at the 2005 MAC Championships. His clocking in the 200 freestyle was a career best, while his time of 20.96 in the 50 freestyle preliminaries was also a career best. Schum, a two-time Academic All-MAC selection, competed in nine of BSU’s 10 meets, posting five first-place times on the year.
Plantz - - a senior business major with a 3.51 GPA - - placed third in three-meter diving (457.87) and fifth in one-meter diving (256.57) at the 2005 MAC Championships. The team’s Most Valuable Diver for the past three season, Plantz is a three-time Academic All-MAC selection. On the season, Plantz competed in all 10 meets for the Cardinals, posting top-three dives 15 times, including 11 first-place finishes.
Caudill - - a junior sports administration major with a 3.27 GPA - - earns Academic All-MAC status for the first time in his career after placing seventh in the 400 individual medley (4:11.08), eighth in the 200 breaststroke (2:08.16) and ninth in the 200 individual medley (1:54.59) at the 2005 MAC Championships. Ball State’s Douglas A. Coers Memorial Scholarship award winner, Caudill’s time in the 200 individual medley and in the 400 individual medley preliminaries (4:08.54) were career-best efforts. On the year, Caudill competed in all 10 meets for the Cardinals, tallying 12 top-three times, including two first-place clockings.
Lullo - - a junior elementary education major with a 3.21 GPA - - earns Academic All-MAC status for the first time in his career after placing 12th in the 1,650 freestyle (16:47.52) and 16th in the 200 backstroke (2:03.25) at the 2005 MAC Championships. A participant in all 10 of BSU’s meets on the season, Lullo posted a season-best time of 1:57.66 in the 200 backstroke in the MAC prelims. Lullo concluded the season with 14 top-three marks, including four first-place swims.
