The Liberty swimming & diving team continued to excel both in the pool and in academics during the spring of 2023, earning a 3.61 team GPA. Liberty was among teams on the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Team list for the spring 2023 semester. Additionally, four Lady Flames have been named CSCAA Individual Scholar All-Americans.

Liberty was one of 10 CCSA teams to earn Scholar All-American Team awards this spring. In the pool, Liberty has won each of the last five CCSA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships (2019-23).

Senior Eva Suggs, along with juniors Heather Gardner, Abbie Shaw and Meagan Tuohy were all named second team CSCAA Individual Scholar All-Americans. Shaw received Individual Scholar All-American honors for the second time.

The Individual Scholar All-America award is given to college swimmers and divers who have earned a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher and have qualified for and competed at the national championship. Second team recognition is given to college swimmers and divers with a 3.5 GPA or higher who attained a “B” standard or Zone Diving score but were not invited to the national championship.

The CSCAA announced its Scholar All-America Team awards, which were received by 714 programs, spanning NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA. In order to qualify for the award, a team must have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the previous semester.

As a team, the Lady Flames earned a cumulative team GPA of 3.61 in the spring of 2023. During the fall of 2018, Liberty’s program-record 3.79 GPA led all collegiate teams, men’s or women’s.

Liberty has now earned CSCAA academic honors as a team a total of 23 semesters, dating back to the fall 2011 semester. Additionally, the Lady Flames have earned 46 CSCAA Individual Scholar All-American honors in program history.

A native of Mount Pleasant, Pa., Gardner had a breakthrough season for the Lady Flames. She posted her first two career CCSA podium finishes, taking third place in both the 100 breaststroke (NCAA B cut 1:01.03) and 200 breaststroke (B cut 2:12.94) at the 2023 CCSA Championships. Gardner also swam the second leg on Liberty’s winning 200 medley relay and second-place 400 medley relay at the CCSA Championships. She enters her senior season ranked second in program history in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 200 breaststroke.

Shaw, a sports communications and public relations major from Niwot, Colo., holds a 3.62 GPA. The junior is a four-time CCSA individual event champion, winning both the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke both last year and this year. She also added a third-place finish in the 100 butterfly this season, giving her five career conference podium finishes. The junior broke the program record for 50 backstroke at the 2023 CCSA Championships, leading off the 200 medley relay in 24.34 seconds. Shaw ranks second in program history in the 200 backstroke (1:55.13), third in the 100 backstroke (52.92) and fourth in 100 fly (53.80).

A native of Boise, Idaho, Suggs has earned a 3.94 GPA while pursuing a Master’s degree in nutrition. She is one of Liberty’s most decorated swimmers. With nine career CCSA podium finishes, she is tied for second in program history in top-three placings at the conference level. She finished as CCSA runner-up in both the 200 free and 100 back this season, after winning the last three conference 200 free titles in a row. Suggs was named the Most Outstanding Female Newcomer of the 2020 CCSA Championship Meet. For her career, she ranks third all-time at Liberty in 200 freestyle (1:47.56) and 200 backstroke (1:56.40) and fifth in 100 backstroke (54.24).

Tuohy, a native of Dover, Pa., holds a 4.0 GPA as a biomedical sciences major. She had a breakthrough junior campaign for the Lady Flames on the diving boards. She has earned her first career appearance at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, where she will compete on the one-meter springboard next week. Tuohy also qualified for a CCSA Final for the first time, finishing fourth in the conference one-meter diving competition this season. She ranks fifth in program history in one-meter diving (268.20) and sixth in three-meter (260.10).