GRANVILLE, Ohio (March 20, 2023) – Tara Culibrk, Savannah Sargent and Kerstyn Johnson of the 2023 NCAA Division III National Champion Denison University women's swimming & diving team have each been named Second-Team Academic All-America® as selected by College Sports Communicators for the 2022-23 season.

Culibrk (3.60 GPA in psychology) is a varsity captain and senior from Belgrade, Serbia, who helped Denison win a national title in the 800 freestyle relay (7:16.35) and earned seven total First-Team All-American certificates (3 ind., 4 relay) at the 2023 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championship. She was the national runner-up in the 50 freestyle and was third in both the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle. She is now a 22-time All-American overall and is a 12-time All-NCAC performer and five-time NCAC Champion. At the 2023 NCAC Championship, Culibrk earned seven all-conference honors and brought home four conference titles, including helping the Big Red set a new pool record and NCAC record with a time of 7:17.09 in the 800 freestyle relay. Culibrk will now be a three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and a three-time member of the NCAC Academic Honor Roll after this year. Around campus, Culibrk is on the Wellness Committee, was an Aug-O First-Year Orientation leader in 2021 and 2022, and has worked in the Mitchell Center all four years. Culibrk certainly lived up to her "Most Promising Freshman" award received in 2020.

Sargent (3.66 GPA in Health, exercise and sports studies) is also a varsity captain and senior from Farmington, New York, who finished in fourth place in the 400 IM and was 15th in the 200 breaststroke at nationals this year. She is now a seven-time All-American and is a four-time All-NCAC performer who earned three all-conference honors at this year's NCAC Championships, led by a runner-up finish in the 400 IM. Sargent will be a three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and a three-time member of the NCAC Academic Honor Roll after this year. On campus, she is a member of the Sports Medicine Club and also works in the athletic training room.

Johnson (3.85 GPA in Health, exercise and sports studies and theatre) is a sophomore from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, who finished in ninth place on both the 1-meter and the 3-meter diving boards at nationals this year. At the 2023 NCAA Division III Diving Regional in Chicago, Illinois, Johnson finished in fifth-place in the 1-meter dive and was sixth in the 3-meter dive. At this year's NCAC Championship meet, Johnson earned the 2023 NCAC Women's Diver of the Year award after bringing home the conference title in both diving events. She was also the NCAC runner-up in both events as a freshman before going on to finish in fourth place in the 3-meter dive (First-Team All-American) and 11th in the 1-meter dive at nationals in 2022. A 2022 CSCAA Scholar All-American, Johnson has been named to the Dean's List during each of her first three semesters at Denison and will be a 2023 Denison Top-50 Scholar-Athlete. Johnson is involved in Denison's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (DSAAC), where she has served on the Special Olympics Committee. She also works as a stage technician for the Eisner Center, works as a stage manager and scenic designer for Denison Theatre Productions, and is a member of the Denison equestrian club and Delta Gamma Sorority.

This brings Denison's count to 111 Academic All-America® winners in school history. Created in 1952, the Academic All-America® program, selected by College Sports Communicators, is a premier, nationwide college scholar-athlete awards program. It recognizes over 1,400 outstanding student-athletes annually in Division I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
 
2022-23 Academic All-America® Women's Swimming & Diving Teams
View Denison's All-Time List of Academic All-America® Winners