Panthers Place Two Swimmers on All-ACC Academic Team

PITTSBURGH—University of Pittsburgh swimmers Rachel Brown and Samy Helmbacher were named to the 2019 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Team, the league office announced Wednesday.

"We're extremely proud of Rachel and Samy for earning All-ACC Academic honors," Pitt head coach John Hargis said. "They both embody the true meaning of being a student-athlete, and they each have made a tremendous impact on our program over the past few years. Overall, we have numerous student-athletes who excel in finding the right balance to perform at a high level both academically and athletically at the University of Pittsburgh. We want to congratulate Rachel and Samy for being recognized by the league for their efforts."

Rachel Brown All-ACC Academic

A senior from High Point, N.C., Brown received her first career All-ACC Academic Team selection after recently completing her health and physical activity degree with a 3.5 grade-point average. This season, Brown was named ACC Swimmer of the Week on Jan. 7 following her three individual wins in the Backyard Brawl that helped the Pitt women's swimming & diving team defeat rival West Virginia.

Brown finished her Pitt career as the women's record holder in the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.84) and swam for four of the fastest women's relays in Pitt history. She concluded her senior campaign at the 2019 ACC Championships, placing 15th in the 200 Free and helping two Pitt relays set school records.

Samy Helmbacher Academic All-ACC

Helmbacher, who recently won the French national championships in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medleys, also earned All-ACC Academic Team recognition for the first time. The Rosheim, France, native owns a 3.1 grade-point average as an industrial engineering major and just finished a stellar junior campaign that saw him stand on an ACC podium and swim at the NCAA Championships.

The Pitt record holder in the 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard individual medley and 400-yard individual medley, Helmbacher competed in each event at the 2019 NCAA Championships after his historic performance at the conference meet, which saw him become Pitt's first ACC men's swimming medalist with a third-place finish in the 400 IM to claim bronze. Helmbacher also won the consolation final of the 200 Breast and 200 IM to place ninth in the conference in each of those events.

Over the past three seasons under the leadership of Coach Hargis, Pitt swimming & diving has placed 10 student-athletes on the All-ACC Academic Teams.

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Panthers Place Two Swimmers on All-ACC Academic Team

Players Mentioned

Rachel Brown

Samy Helmbacher

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