Academic All-America Men’s Swimming Honorees Announced

Four standouts headline a group of outstanding student-athletes named to the 2024-25 Academic All-America men’s swimming & diving teams as selected by College Sports Communicators.

Jonny Kulow from Arizona State University, Cedric Buessing from the University of Indianapolis, Vineet Ranade from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Juan Gonzalez of Keiser University lead the Academic All-America® teams by being named as the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for NCAA Divisions I, II, and III as well as the NAIA, respectively.

NCAA Division I

Jonny Kulow, a junior majoring in microbiology, repeated as the Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year after earning the honor in 2023-24. The native of Lander, Wyoming, owns a cumulative grade-point average of 4.00. He was a six-time All-American (50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay) at the 2024-25 NCAA Division I National Championships. He finished sixth in the 100 free final (40.84) and seventh in the 50 free final (18.74). He was also a part of the 200 medley relay team that finished fourth (1:20.87), the 200 free relay team that finished second (1:13.05), the 400 medley relay team that finished third (2:58.97) and the 400 free relay team that finished second (2:43.22).

Prior to that Kulow was named the Big 12 Championships Swimmer of the Meet after winning five events (50 Free, 100 Free, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 400 Free relay) while helping the Sun Devils to their third consecutive conference title. He also finished second in the 200 freestyle.

Kulow was previously a five-time Pac-12 champion and was part of the 400 medley relay and 400 free relay teams at the 2023-24 NCAA Championships as the Sun Devil men won the program’s first NCAA title. He placed third in the 200 free relay, eighth in the 50 free and 13th in the 100 free.

Kulow was named to the U.S. National Team for 2023-24 and participated at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials. He competed at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, winning six medals including the gold in the 400 mixed medley and 400 medley relay along with the silver medal in the 100m free, 4×100 free relay, mixed 4×100 free relay and 50 free. He was named the 2022-23 Pac-12 Men’s Freshman of the Year.

In addition to Kulow, 11 other honorees are repeat selections from the 2023-24 Academic All-America® Division I team. That includes three student-athletes who are now three-time Academic All-Americans. Ron Polonsky of Stanford University is a three-time first team selection. Coby Carrozza of the University of Texas and Björn Seeliger of California were first team selections last year and were named to the second team this year. Other repeat selections include Martin Espernberger (University of Tennessee), Mason Mathis (Auburn University), Carson Tyler (Indiana University), Andrew Bell (University of Massachusetts), Jesco Helling (University of Utah), Quinn Henninger (Indiana), Baylor Nelson (Texas A&M), and Bar Soloveyechik (University of Minnesota).

The 10 members of the Division I first team had a 3.91 average GPA. A total of six members had 4.00 GPAs, with three on the first team.

(1) – Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in 2022-23
(1) – 1st team Academic All-America® in 2023-24
(2) – 2nd team Academic All-America® in 2023-24
(3) – 3rd  team Academic All-America® in 2023-24
(4) – 1st team Academic All-America® in 2022-23

NCAA Division II

Cedric Buessing, a senior from Grevenbroich, Germany, is a business administration & management major with a 3.88 GPA. He is now a three-time Academic All-American® after earning first team honors last year and second team in 2022-23. He helped the Greyhounds finish fifth at the 2025 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships.

Buessing is a 19-time All-American, including 17-first team. After winning the 1,000-yard freestyle at the National Championships in 2023 and 2024 he finished second this year while breaking the school record in the event. It was his seventh national runner-up finish. He also earned All-American honors while a member of the fifth-place 800 freestyle relay team.

He became the first-ever student-athlete to earn four Great Lakes Valley Conference Swimmer of the Year nods. After winning the 1650 free tonight, he claimed four individual gold medals at the 2025 GLVC championships while adding a bronze in the 400 medley relay. Buessing won 18 GLVC event titles, including four straight golds in the 500 free, 1000 free, the mile and the 400 IM. He was also named the 2022 GLVC Freshman of the Year.

Buessing was a 2024 Olympic finalist, placing eighth in the 400 IM while competing for his native Germany. He is believed to be the first NCAA Division II swimmer to make an Olympic final.

Including Buessing, Division II had 10 repeat selections on the Academic All-America® team. That included two other swimmers who are now three-time Academic All-Americans – Asger Hartvig of Carson-Newman and Wayne State (Mich.) University’s Trevor Jones. Other repeat selections on the Academic All-America® team include Dejan Urbanek (Colorado Mesa University), Alejandro Villarejo (Drury University), Gavin Anderson (Colorado Mesa), Ney Chagas Filho (Wingate University), William LaCount (Northern Michigan University, Jaron O’Grady (Colorado School of Mines) and Owen Stender (Davenport University).

The 11 members of the Division II first team had a 3.92 average GPA. A total of seven members had 4.00 GPAs, with one on the first team.

The Division II Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2024-25 Division II Academic All-America program.

(1) – 1st team Academic All-America in 2023-24
(2) – 2nd team Academic All-America® in 2023-24
(3) – 3rd  team Academic All-America® in 2023-24
(5) – 2nd team Academic All-America® in 2022-23

NCAA Division III

Vineet Ranade hails from Mountain View, California. A computer engineering major with a 4.00 GPA he is now a two-time Academic All-American after earning second team honors a year ago. He was previously named the recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 Award at the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships.

The senior was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year for the second time after previously receiving the award in 2023. Ranade helped lead the Fightin’ Engineers to their fifth consecutive HCAC title in the HCAC Championship meet this season. He was selected after claiming seven event wins and breaking six school records, four HCAC meet records, and four all-time HCAC records. He is just the second swimmer in Rose-Hulman history to earn the Swimmer of the Meet multiple times. He was also named the 2022 HCAC Men’s Newcomer of the Year.

Ranade qualified for three events at the NCAA Division III Championships. He placed 17th in the 200 IM and 200 breaststroke, and 24th in the 200 freestyle. He earned All-American honors in the 200 freestyle in 2024 thanks to a 16th-place finish.

Ranade finished his senior year breaking five individual records and contributing to two relay school records. His individual records included the 50 freestyle (20.35), 100 freestyle (44.72), 100 backstroke (49.59), 200 IM (1:48.61), and the 200 breaststroke (1:59.50). He was also a member of the record-breaking 400 medley relay team and 800 freestyle relay team.

Six members of the Division III team were repeat Academic All-America® selections, including Jeff Echols of Emory University and Ethan Manske of Kenyon College, who are now two-time first team selections. Ranade and Williams College’s Oliver Schalet moved up from the second team to earn first team accolades. Emmett Adams of Tufts University and Gavin Jones of Denison University were also repeat performers.

The 12 members of the Division III first team had an average 3.91 GPA, with three members having 4.00 GPAs. A total of five student-athletes on the three teams had 4.00 GPAs.

The Division III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2024-25 Division III Academic All-America® program.

(1) – 1st team Academic All-America in 2023-24
(2) – 2nd team Academic All-America® in 2023-24
(3) – 3rd  team Academic All-America® in 2023-24

NAIA

Juan Gonzalez is a business administration major with a 4.00 GPA as an undergraduate student and now as a graduate student. The native of Medellin, Columbia, and a former transfer from the University of Hawaii, he helped Keiser win its sixth NAIA Swimming & Diving National Championship.

Gonzalez was named the NAIA Diver of the Year after winning national championships in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. He posted a score of 305.20 in the 1-meter and 341.30 in the 3-meter. At the SUN Conference Championships he broke the meet record and Keiser program record in the 1-meter dive with a score of 335.85. A day later he broke the meet record and school record in the 3-meter dive with a score of 375.85.

Two players are repeat selections to the Academic All-America® team from the NAIA: Jack Fries of Olivet Nazarene University and Lindsey Wilson College’s Fabio Martin Rojo.

The 10 members of the NAIA team had a 3.80 average GPA, with two members showing 4.00 GPAs.

(1) – 1st team Academic All-America® in 2023-24