Emory University graduate student Taylor Leone has been named the Division III Women's Swimming & Diving Academic All-America Team Member of the Year presented by the College Sports Communicators (CSC, formerly CoSIDA) as announced by the organization Monday afternoon.
Leone becomes just the sixth Emory Eagle ever to be chosen as the National Academic All-American of the Year for his or her respective sport, joining Andrea Pawliczek (2001, Women's Soccer), Tom Shane (2002, At-Large/Men's Swimming), Kyle Foster (2003, Baseball), Megan Light (2014, Softball) and Andrew Wilson (2015 & 2017, At-Large/Men's Swimming) in the elite group.
Leone, an Academic All-America First Team selection as well, is joined on the First Team by teammates Caroline Maki and Sloane Donovan. This marks the first-ever CSC Academic All-America recognition for the trio. Leone, Maki and Donovan are now the fourth, fifth, and sixth Eagles to be selected as Academic All-Americans during the 2022-23 academic calendar and are the 202nd, 203rd, and 204th Academic All-America honorees in the history of the Emory Athletics department.
To view the full College Sports Communicators announcement, please click here.
Leone capped off her remarkable Emory swimming career this past weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina, leading the women's swimming & diving team to a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships. At the meet, Leone earned All-America honors in all seven events she competed in and was part of two championship-winning relays, including setting a new national record in the 200 Medley Relay. For her career, Leone was a four-time national champion, 21-time All-American and led Emory to back-to-back second place finishes at nationals. She was also part of three UAA championship teams and was UAA champion in 12 events. A 19-time All-UAA performer, she was named the UAA Swimmer of the Year in 2022. Leone, who is in her first year of graduate studies in Global Health owns a 3.91 GPA.
Maki concluded her equally impressive Emory swimming career this past weekend at the NCAA Championships, earning seven All-America honors and was also part of both championship-winning relays in the 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle, etching her name in the Division III record books in the 200 Medley. Maki added a national runner-up performance in the 100 Freestyle and was fifth in both the 50 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly. For her career, she was a three-time relay national champion and a 17-time All-American. This past February, Maki was named the UAA Swimmer of the Year after leading the Eagles to their 24th consecutive conference championship. She won a UAA title in six events, setting UAA meet records in two relays, and boosted her career totals to 14 UAA championships and 18 All-UAA performances. Maki owns a 3.92 GPA as an Environmental Sciences major.
Donovan makes her first appearance on the CSC All-America Team after recently completing her junior season with the Eagles. This year, Donovan earned All-America Honorable Mention acclaim in the 1650 Freestyle after an eighth place finish in the event at last year's nationals, and finished 24th in the 500 Freestyle and 44th in the 200 Freestyle. At the UAA Championships earlier this season, Donovan captured the first All-UAA swims of her career, winning the conference title in the 1650 Freestyle and was third in the 500 Freestyle. As a Biology major, Sloane currently has a GPA of 3.99.
All three Eagles were tabbed to the CSC Academic All-District at the end of February along with senior Anna Glowniak and proceeded to be placed on the All-America ballot for voting. CSC Academic All-America Teams are nominated and voted on by College Sport Communicators and Sports Information Directors across all Division III institutions.
The CSC Academic All-America team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. To be nominated, student-athletes must be a key member of their respective teams, maintain a 3.50 grade point average, be of sophomore standing or higher, and have attended their current institutions for at least one year.