SALEM, W.Va. - The Salem University Women's Water Polo notched the top GPA in the country with eight athletes making the list.

The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) recognized 644 student-athletes as the organization released its 2019 Women's All-Academic list.

Divided into three teams (Outstanding: 4.0-3.71; Superior: 3.70-3.41; Excellent: 3.40-3.20), the total shatters the all-time high of 573 established last year and includes 190 Outstanding, 273 Superior and 181 Excellent selections.  It marked a 71 athlete increase over 2018 (573) and continued an upward trend following the 2017 (548), 2016 (508) and 2015 (315) honors.

Freshmen Philippa Piper, Tanya Lopez, Camryn Cotter, Chloe Woodbine, Margherita Garibbo, Annefleur ten Bloemendal, and Beatrice Popescu tallied Outstanding Rank, while junior Maryanna Antoniou added a Superior mark for the group. With an overall team GPA of 3.78 Salem finished their first season top of the class and will be looking to continue the streak into the future.

A record total of 64 institutions earned at least one All-Academic selection, while 57 schools garnered Team All-Academic recognition.
 
To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete's head coach must be a member of the ACWPC, while the athlete must attain a grade point average (GPA) in excess of 3.20. Teams must achieve a 3.0 GPA to garner honors.