The Pac-12 Conference has named Arizona senior Giles Smith as the 2014 Pac-12 Men’s Swimming Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The award has been established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.
A senior from Baltimore, Md., Smith has been a standout butterfly and freestyle swimmer in his three seasons for the Wildcats. The 10-time All-American has won an NCAA title in the 400 medley relay (2013) and the 200 medley relay (2012). He owns the second-fasted 100 fly time in school history and the ninth-fasted 50 and 100 free times in program history, as well. In his senior regular season, Smith earned six individual first-place finishes and four first-place relay finishes, recording the fasted time in the country in the 100 fly at 44.73. He also represented Team USA at the World University Games in Russia. Outside of the pool, Smith has a 3.46 grade point average while pursuing a degree in journalism. He was a Pac-12 First-Team All-Academic honoree and a College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America honoree last year.
Meanwhile, Smith earned a trio of Pac-12 titles this past week at the conference championships. Smith took top honors in the 100 fly, while also earned a pair of relay titles in the 200 medley relay and the 400 medley relay.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 22 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling.
The Wildcats swept this year’s award as Margo Geer was named women’s scholar athlete of the year last week at the Pac-12 Women’s Championships.
The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards were established during the 2007-08 academic year.
