July 14, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Three members of the Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving team earned honorable mention distinction on the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-Academic Team. Sophomore Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western), junior Tim Randolph (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville) and senior Frank Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory) led the Irish to an overall grade-point average of 3.17, which tied them with Boston College for 11th overall nationally.
Brown, who garnered the same honor last season, posted a 3.71 grade-point average during the spring 2005 semester as a preprofessional studies/anthropology major in the College of Arts and Letters. Brown finished fifth on the team with 331.75 total points as he helped the Irish to the 2005 BIG EAST title. He collected 15 individual first-place finishes and four in relay events on the year. The sophomore is one of the most versatile swimmers on the Irish and has led Notre Dame in points scored in individual action in each of his first two collegiate seasons. He also holds the University record in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:25.83. Brown notched NCAA `B’ cut times in the 200-yard free (1:38.64) and 500 free (4:25.89) at the BIG EAST meet to cop all-conference accolades. He also swam on the school-record setting 800-yard freestyle relay team at the BIG EAST Championship with a time of 6:40.79.
Brown is just the second Irish swimmer to be recognized with this honor twice during his career. Ray Fitzpatrick was named to the team in both 1999 and 2000. The only other Notre Dame student-athletes to earn CSCAA All-Academic distinction are a trio from the 2004 season (Brown, Tim Kegelman and Matt Obringer) along with this year’s selections.
Randolph earned the honor with a 3.64 grade-point average as a management major in the Mendoza College of Business. In 2005, the junior placed sixth on the team with 269.5 overall points with two individual first-place finishes and 11 top-finishes in relay events. Randolph posted a school-record and NCAA `B’ cut time in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 55:18 at the BIG EAST Championship. He was a five-time all-BIG EAST performer during the 2005 season (200-yard medley relay, 200 free relay, 100 breast, 400 medley relay, 400 free relay).
Randolph and Krakowski were part of the BIG EAST champion and school-record 400-yard medley relay team (3:16.93) and they were also on the 400 freestyle relay squad that established a school mark (3:00.02) at the conference meet. The duo helped the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays to school records as well with respective times of 1:30.12 and 1:20.64.
Krakowski had a 3.58 GPA as a finance major in the Mendoza College of Business and finished third on the team with 359.75 total points. He captured six individual first-place finishes and notched 13 others in relay events in 2005. Krakowski posted an NCAA `B’ cut time in the 100-yard butterfly (48.30) during the BIG EAST meet. At the BIG EAST Championship, he collected five all-conference honors (200-yard medley relay, 200 free relay, 100 fly, 400 medley relay, 400 free relay).
Competitors who qualified for the NCAA Championships and had a 3.50+ GPA for the year were named Academic All-Americans, while student-athletes who had a 3.50+ and achieved at least one NCAA `B’ time but did not qualify for the NCAAs were named honorable mention.
Notre Dame has a long history of academic excellence, finishing among the nation’s top 20 in team GPA on 12 occasions since 1990. In the spring of 1999, the Irish led Division I with a 3.352 GPA. During the fall 2004 semester, the Irish squad posted a 3.11 GPA to tie Saint Louis for the 14th-best GPA in the nation.
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