CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Luther College men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have earned Scholar All-American honors from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for the 2009 fall semester.

The CSCAA produces the Scholar All-American list twice a year, the first following the fall semester and the second following the spring semester. One hundred and forty-five Division III swimming and diving teams – 89 women's teams and 56 men's teams - were honored for academic success for the 2009 fall semester.

In order to be named to the Scholar All-American list, squad’s entire roster must have had a combined grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

The Luther women’s team was ranked tied for 19th in Division III with a GPA of 3.41. The men's team ranked tied for 44th with a GPA of 3.11. This is the seventh year in a row the men’s team has been so honored and the sixth year in a row for the women’s team.

"I am extremely proud of the efforts our athletes have put forth not only in the pool, but more importantly, their efforts in the classroom," stated head coach Lance Huber. "We firmly believe that the hard work and efforts our athletes apply to both settings, will carry over into their professional lives."

Luther College is a four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and is located in Decorah, Iowa. The Norse compete in 10 men's and nine women's intercollegiate sports.

As a member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) since 1922, the men have won 149 conference championships. In 1982 the IIAC expanded its championship sponsorship to include women's sports. During this time span, the women have won 59 team titles. Combined, Luther is the first school in the Iowa Conference to capture 208 league titles.