March 8, 2013

Newport News, Va. - Just one day after learning about her invitation to the NCAA Championship, Fordham senior swimmer Brienne Ryan (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall) earned another honor, as she was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team for swimming & diving for the second consecutive year.

Ryan, a communications & media Studies major, currently has a 3.21 GPA and joined seven other student-athletes on this year's academic team, which included Caroline Myers of George Washington, Emily Thomesen of Rhode Island, Mail Kobelja and Mina Vucic of Richmond, Michaela Butler of Massachusetts, Courtney Shields of Xavier, Meghan Smith of Duquesne, and Morgan Peterson and Taylor Streid of Saint Louis.

Ryan has had a phenomenal senior season, in which she was named Atlantic 10 Women's Swimming & Diving Performer of the Week six times during the regular season, heading into the 2013 Atlantic 10 Championship in Ohio.

Ryan was once again one of Fordham's top performers, earning All-Atlantic 10 honors in four events and scoring in three others. She was the Atlantic 10 champion in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events, setting the Atlantic 10 record in the 200-yard event at 1:55.79. It marked the fifth time that a Fordham female swimmer had won two events in an Atlantic 10 Championship, as Ryan joined Courtney Collyer (2009 & 2012), Caitlin Napoli (2009), and Erika Newell (2005) in that group.

Ryan also earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors as a part of the 200- and 400-yard medley relay teams.

She will wrap her college career in two weeks at 2013 NCAA Division I Women's Championship, which will be held March 21-23 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. The Indiana Sports Corporation and IUPUI will serve as the co-hosts.

Ryan will once again compete in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke event after finishing 20th and 17th, respectively at last year's NCAA Championship.

Ryan is the first Fordham female to be invited to the NCAA Championship meet twice, as she qualified for the 100-yard backstroke in 52.97 seconds, which was good for a tie for 29th in the country. The top 38 qualifiers were invited to the championship. She can also compete in any other event that she had an NCAA "B" cut time in, which she did in the 200-yard backstroke (1:55.79).

She is the only athlete from the Atlantic 10 to compete in this year's women's championship.

The 100-yard backstroke event of the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championship is set to take place on Friday, March 22nd. The 200-yard backstroke event will take place on Saturday, March 23rd.

ESPN3.com will stream finals sessions on Friday and Saturday live. Additionally, ESPNU will air a 90-minute show at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 27.