Chris Pearson Named ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-American of the Year

The Tartans' Boris Sofman Earns First-Team Honors

Chris Pearson defended his 200-yard freestyle title and also captured the national crown in the 200-yard butterfly at the 2005 NCAA Division III Championships.

Chris Pearson was the University Athletic Association Swimmer of the Year in 2002 and 2005.

The awards keep rolling in for Carnegie Mellon University swimming standout Chris Pearson as he was recently named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year in the Men's At-Large College Division by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Pearson, who recently earned his bachelor's degree in electrical and computer engineering with a 3.87 grade-point average, won two national championships (200-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle) this past winter to lead the Tartans to a 6th place finish in the NCAA Division III Championships. In his four-year career at Carnegie Mellon, Pearson won three NCAA titles—including the 200-yard freestyle as a junior—11 University Athletic Association championships, 26 All-America citations and four Academic All-America awards.

He also recently became the first Carnegie Mellon student-athlete to win a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for athletic and academic achievements as an undergraduate. He plans to use the scholarship to complete his master's degree in electrical and computer engineering.

"I am surprised and honored to be selected from all the talented student-athletes who were nominated. I know how talented the pool of candidates was, and I am amazed at my selection," said Pearson, a native of Columbia, Md.

Joining Pearson on the Men's College Division At-Large first-team was Carnegie Mellon tennis player Boris Sofman. Sofman, who earned his bachelor's degree in electrical and computer engineering with a 4.0 grade-point average, led the Tartans to a top 25 national ranking this spring (#23) despite one of the most difficult schedules in the country. The Tartans, who finished the regular season with an 11-8 mark, appeared in their second consecutive NCAA post-season tournament.

To be eligible for Academic All-America honors a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. The Men's At-Large Academic All-America program includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.

For more information on Carnegie Mellon athletics, visit http://www.cmu.edu/athletic/index.html

For more on the Academic All-America Teams program, visit http://www.cosida.com

Bruce Gerson
June 15, 2005