Leavenworth, Kan.— The College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) has named over 2,230 swimmers and divers to its Scholar All-American Team presented by Fitter & Faster Swim Camps for the 2025-26 season.
To qualify for First-Team Scholar All-America, student-athletes must have earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher and participated in their national championship. Second-Team selections, must have also earned a 3.5 GPA or higher and met an NIC "A" time standard in Division I or an NCAA "B" qualifying standard for the national championship or qualified for a diving zone qualification meet for Division II, Division III, and NAIA.
Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) is the nation's first organization of college coaches. The mission of the CSCAA is to advance the sport of swimming and diving with coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development.
The CSCAA would like to thank presenting partner
Fitter and Faster Swim Camps for their support of the Team Scholar All-America Awards. Their partnership helps shine a spotlight on the academic achievements and success of student-athletes across collegiate swimming and diving. For more information, please visit
www.cscsaa.org/saa.
For more information, and to view the complete list of honorees, please visit
https://cscaa.org/scholar-all-america/.
The University of Saint Mary is extremely proud to recognize the Spire women who achieved this honor:
First Team
Second Team
Almost all the members of this 2025—26 CSCAA Scholar All-American team also made waves at the 2026 NAIA National Meet in Elkhart, Indiana with many top twenty placements and a new USM relay record under their belt. The University of Saint Mary women demonstrated they belong on the national stage by consistently placing USM swimmers and relays among the country's best while continuing to lower program records.
Championship meets are won not only by podium finishes but by depth, consistency, and the ability to compete across multiple events over four demanding days. The Spires accomplished exactly that, closing the season with performances that reflected a program continuing to climb within the NAIA ranks.
From the opening relays, USM established itself as a team capable of competing with the nation's best. The 200 Medley Relay (16
th place overall) and 800 Freestyle Relay (15
th place overall) earned national scoring finishes to begin the meet, providing early momentum and demonstrating the team's balance.
Throughout the individual events, the Spires repeatedly flirted with championship finals. Senior
Olivia Ringle's impressive 5:28.09 in the 500 freestyle and
Ayla Pierce's 2:14.22 in the 200 individual medley both resulted in 34th-place finishes, evidence of the razor-thin margins that separate advancing at the national level from watching finals from the stands.
Sprint specialist
Taya Swarts continued to cement herself as one of USM's most reliable competitors. Her 24.53 final mark in the 50 freestyle (29
th place overall), 2:00.57 final in the 200 freestyle (31
st place overall), and 53.77 in the 100 freestyle (27
th place overall) illustrated remarkable versatility across the freestyle spectrum. Consistently placing among the nation's top 30 in multiple events is no small accomplishment on such a huge stage.
MaryBeth Clarks 18th-place finishes in both the 100 butterfly (58.30 second final) and 200 butterfly (2:10.75 final mark) positioned her just outside All-America contention while establishing her as one of the premier butterfly swimmers in the field. Combined with
Ayla Pierce's 25th-place finish in the 100 butterfly, the event highlighted one of the Spires greatest strengths—quality depth.
The distance events also painted an encouraging picture for a bright USM future. Pierce and Ringle closed the individual competition with outstanding efforts in the 1650 freestyle, finishing second and fourth in the nation, respectively, in their heat.
Relay success is often viewed as the truest measurement of a program's health because it reflects depth across the roster rather than the brilliance of one athlete. The Spire relays steadily improved throughout the meet, culminating in an outstanding performance in the 400 Freestyle Relay.
The quartet of
Taya Swarts,
Sania Cay,
MaryBeth Clark,
Ayla Pierce, and
Olivia Ringle delivered an 11th-place finish while setting a new USM record of 3:34.01. In many ways, that swim served as the perfect ending to the national meet. Breaking a program record on the national stage while finishing among the top eleven relay teams in the country is a statement that resonates well beyond a single weekend.
The University of Saint Mary swim teams under the leadership of head coach
David Bresser showcased experienced leadership, competitive depth, and a continuously emerging culture capable of producing nationally competitive relays while placing numerous individuals among the country's top performers. For a Spire squad intent on building sustained success, Elkhart was not the finish line, it was another significant step forward to the continued success of Coach Bresser's squads.
