Ball State University Athletics
Men's Swimming & Diving Places Four On Academic All-MAC Squad
April 06, 2010 | Men's Swimming and Diving
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Ben Karwoski (Bluffton, Ind./Bluffton H.S.), Jordan Rantz (Leesburg, Ind./Wawasee H.S.), Mark Golden (Itasca, Ill./Lake Park H.S.) and Ryan Gordyan (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson H.S.) from the Ball State men's swimming & diving program have earned recognition on the 2010 Academic All-Mid-American Conference Men's Swimming & Diving Team, as voted on by the faculty athletic representatives at MAC institutions.
"These four young men are the epitome of the term student-athlete," said Ball State head coach Bob Thomas. "They have truly excelled in the classroom while maintaining a rigorous daily and weekly training program and two of them also hold part time jobs. I am very proud of what they have accomplished thus far and their potential for the future."
Ben Karwoski, a senior exercise science major with a 3.52 grade-point average, picks up Academic All-MAC accolades for the third time in his career. Karwoski scored in three events at the MAC Championships, placing 14th in the 1650 freestyle (16:22.56) and 15th in the 200 butterfly (1:55.57), while swimming the anchor of the fifth-place 800 freestyle relay (7:00.36). Both his individual times were career-best efforts and ranked him second on the squad.
Karwoski also placed 21st in the 500 freestyle (4:40.93) at the league championships. He clocked the Cardinals' fastest 1000 freestyle time of the season at 9:59.16, while his season-fast time of 1:46.00 in the 200 freestyle rank fifth on the squad.
Jordan Rantz, a senior sport administration major with a 3.52 GPA, earns Academic All-MAC accolades for the first time in his career after ranking second on the squad in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke. He placed 17th at the MAC Championships in the 200 breaststroke with a career-fast time of 2:08.25, while adding an 18th-place effort in the 100 breaststroke with a career-best swim of 58.63.
Rantz's 29th-place time of 1:58.74 in the 200 individual medley at the league meet was also a career-fast time and ranked as the fourth-best individual performance on the team this season.
Mark Golden, a junior secondary education major with a 3.77 grade-point average, earns Academic All-MAC honors for the second time in his career. Golden picked up eight individual points at the 2010 MAC Men's Swimming & Diving Championships by placing 10th in the 1650 freestyle (16:03.90) and 16th in the 500 freestyle (4:40.82).
Golden's times in the 1650 freestyle and in the prelims of the 500 freestyle (4:35.87) were the fastest for a BSU swimmer this season. Golden also placed 25th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:44.77 at the league championship meet.
Ryan Gordyan, a senior actuarial science major with a 3.89 GPA, returned for his second season as a member of the BSU men's swimming & diving team after not competing in 2008-09. He posted the Cardinals' fourth-fastest time of the season in the 1650 freestyle at the MAC Championships, clocking in at 17:00.74.
Gordyan also posted season-fast times in the 200 free (1:46.84) and 500 freestyle (4:49.28) at the MAC Championships to rank sixth and seventh, respectively, on the squad. Gordyan is a first-time Academic All-MAC selection.
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. Outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments for the current season are only considered. A total of 18 student-athletes from six league schools which sponsor men's swimming & diving were named to the team.
Players Mentioned
