RICHMOND, Va. – Braden Ripken of the Gustavus Adolphus College men's swim & dive team has been named a College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) 2025-26 Division III First-Team Scholar All-American, the association announced on Thursday.
 
The junior is an economics and sports management major who competed in the NCAA Championship, swimming the 100 and 200 breaststrokes as well as the 50 freestyle at the national meet. Ripken won seven All-Conference awards at the MIAC Championship, winning the 50 Freestyle (20.70), 100 Breaststroke (53.76), 200 Medley Relay (1:30.28), 400 Medley Relay (3:20.46), 200 Freestyle Relay (1:23.32), and 400 Freestyle Relay (3:04.99) and placing second in the 100 Freestyle (46.14).
 
To qualify for First-Team Scholar All-America, student-athletes must have earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher and participated in their national championship. Second-Team selections must have also earned a 3.5 GPA or higher and met an NIC "A" time standard in Division I or an NCAA "B" qualifying standard for the national championship or qualified for a diving zone qualification meet for Division II, Division III, and NAIA.
 
This past season, the Gusties won the MIAC Men's Swim & Dive Championship for the seventh year in a row and 28th time in program history.