SCAD Swimmers Set NAIA Records at National Championship Meet

SAVANNAH, Ga., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It was a record-setting week in the pool for Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Members of both the men's and women's SCAD swimming teams broke national records at the 2017 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championships held March 1-4 at the Columbus Aquatic Center in Columbus, Georgia.

"We can always count on our SCAD Bees to deliver dazzling performances, and once again they achieved remarkable results. Congratulations to the wave-making men's and women's teams and to our record-breaking and All-American scholar-artist-swimmers."

Freshman Joel Thatcher (B.F.A., sequential art, Mason, Ohio) set two NAIA records in his first Nationals appearance. Thatcher established a new 500-yard freestyle record with his first-place time of 4:20.35, eclipsing the previous record (4:21.49) held by teammate Joel Ax (B.F.A., furniture design, Idstein, Germany). Thatcher's second record-setting swim of the championship was in the 1650-yard freestyle record, with a time of 15:18.39.

Ax set a new NAIA national record himself in the 200-yard freestyle with his first-place time of 1:34.89, breaking his own record (1:34.90) that he set at the 2016 NAIA Nationals.

Julie Woody (B.F.A., interior design, 2016; M.A., design management, Raleigh, N.C.) set a new NAIA record in the 100-yard freestyle with her stunning first-place time of 49.24. Woody's phenomenal collegiate swimming career includes accolades as a four-time All-American, NAIA Academic All-American, and CSCAA Scholar All-American, as well as Bluegrass Mountain Conference Swimmer of the Week and NAIA National Swimmer of the Week.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers 
The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited university offering more than 100 academic degree programs in 43 majors across its locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Hong Kong; Lacoste, France; and online via SCAD eLearning. SCAD enrolls nearly 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries. The innovative SCAD curriculum is enhanced by advanced professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources, as well as opportunities for internships, professional certifications and collaborative projects with corporate partners.

In 2015, the prestigious Red Dot Design Rankings placed SCAD in the top four universities in the Americas and Europe. Career preparation is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni placement rate. In a study of Spring 2015 SCAD graduates, 98 percent were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 10 months of graduation. For more information, visit the official SCAD blog.

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SOURCE Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)