The winning ways of the1995 season brought more than victories in the water to the men’s swimming and diving team. It also brought out the winning touch in the classroom.

The Salukis not only have the distinction of having the best men and women’s swim teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, but another distinction was added to the men’s team when the results were out for the 1995 Missouri Valley Conference All-Academic Men’s Swimming and Diving Team.

SIUC dominated the field of swimmers and divers selected to the team with six swimmers on the first team, and two swimmers receiving honorable mention.

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Honorees must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, must have completed at least one year in school and must have participated in at least 75% of regular-season competition or the MVC championship.

Men’s head coach Rick Walker said he was very pleased with his team’s performance on the academic level.

As a coach, I am as happy with that as I am with winning the conference championship, Walker said. I have always felt academics is the reason why these athletes are here. They chose SIUC because it also had a swimming program.

Walker uses his coaching abilities to provide the incentive to the swimmers to perform well in their classes

If they’re not doing their job in the classroom, I hold them out of the pool, Walker said. I won’t let them be a swimmer unless they’re a student first.

Two swimmers made the First Team All-Academic with the only 4.00 grade point averages in the MVC.

Jeff Clark, a sophomore from Canton, Mich., holds his perfect GPA while double-majoring in Finance and Accounting.

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Nathan Stooke of O’Fallon also balances his 4.00 while majoring in Computer Science.

As Stooke explained, juggling a tough class schedule and hours of practice in and out of the pool is not the easiest task in the world.

It is hard, (balancing a schedule) even though I have been doing it for a long time, Stooke said. It takes time management. I have a checklist and make sure I have everything done before I go out and do other things.

Clark believes activities outside of academics can also aid in school.

I think doing other activities helps in you do better in school, Clark said.

Clark said his goal is to earn A’s in his classes.

I get mad when I get B’s, so I guess it’s a goal that I have unofficially set, Clark said.

Some advice Stooke would offer to other students who have a hectic schedule is for them to stay focused in school.

You’re in school to go to school and learn, Stooke said. Even though there maybe a class you may not like and you have to take it, just do your best at it.

Seniors Doug Fulling and Mark Wehner added their achievements to the First Team as well two more sophomores:Chad Morris and Steve Munz.

Two swimmers, sophomore Ben Culver and junior Chris Pelant, were selected to the honorable mention team.

We had this philosophy (of strong academics) long before it became popular, and I think academics is something athletics enhances, Walker said.

Where do you learn teamwork? In the classroom. Where do you learn goal orientation, dealing with stress and all of the qualities that a company or corporation thrives on? Walker said.

It’s a catalyst to being successful and we have it here in athletics, but if that is all we are then we’re a hindrance to academics.