Four Clemson Swimmers Named to All-ACC Academic Team

June 10, 2009

GREENSBORO, NC – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its Academic All-Conference selections on Wednesday, and included four of Clemson’s student-athletes. Graduates Rachel Regone and Michelle Parkhurst, rising senior Katrina Obas, and rising sophomore Chris Dart earned the recognition for Clemson for the 2008-09 academic year.

To be eligible for consideration on the All-ACC Academic Team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his or her academic career. A total of 80 swimmers and divers were named to the team throughout the conference.

Rachel Regone graduated in May with a degree in Health Science, posting a 4.00 GPA during her career. This season, the Houston, TX native placed second in the ACC in the 50 free and as part of the 200 free relay, and leaves as the school record-holder in the 50 free, as well as four relay events. It was Regone’s fourth selection to the academic team. The med school applicant was awarded the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in April, becoming only the eleventh student-athlete in Clemson history to garner the award.

Michelle Parkhurst, a Vienna, VA native, concluded one of the most illustrious careers in Clemson swimming history, graduating in May with a 3.78 GPA in Sociology. The selection to the academic team was her fourth in as many years. In the pool, Parkhurst won four individual ACC titles and two more relay titles during her career and is a two-time Honorable Mention All-American. This season, Parkhurst won the 200 freestyle, took second in the 200 backstroke, and second as part of the 200 free relay at the 2009 ACC Championships.

Katrina Obas earned her third career academic All-ACC honor, boasting a 3.93 GPA in Health Science. Obas became the school record-holder in the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, and 200 medley relay during the 2008-09 campaign, and placed fifth in the ACC in the 100 breast at the conference championship meet. The rising senior from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada will captain the 2009-2010 team.

Chris Dart was the lone Clemson member of the men’s team named to the academic team, as the freshman posted a 3.23 in his first year as a Communications major. Dart, from Chatham, NJ, was the Rookie of the Year and MVP of the men’s team for his outstanding freshman campaign. In the pool, Dart moved into the top three in Clemson history in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke on his way to scoring at the ACC championship meet.

For the year, Virginia led all ACC schools with 16 selections overall, while Virginia Tech notched 12, and North Carolina 11. You can view the ACC’s release at: /ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=28500&ATCLID=205521938