USC’s Lendrum named scholar-athlete of the year


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USC senior Alex Lendrum was named the Pac-12 men’s swimming and diving scholar-athlete of the year at the Pac-12 men’s swimming and diving championships in Federal Way, Wash. on Wednesday. This honor was bestowed just one day after Lendrum took home the conference title in the 200-yard free.

Lendrum is a biochemistry major and has accrued a 3.76 cumulative GPA during his college career. The Phoenix native has also qualified for the Dean’s List every semester he has attended USC.

Last year, he was named to the Capital One Academic All-America second team and the All-District-8 first team. He is a two-time member of the Pac-12 All-Academic first team, having been selected each of the past two seasons, and was also a 2012 Spring CSCAA Scholar All-American.

Lendrum is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Med honorary fraternity in addition to the Golden Key International honor society. He was the recipient of the USC David X. Marks Foundation  Scholar-Athlete Award in 2011 and 2012.

His successes that are not tied to his work in the classroom are equally impressive. In 2012, he was a first team All-American, and the year before he was an honorable mention All-American selection. This season, he was named team captain for the second time and last season he took sixth place in the 200-yard back at the 2012 NCAA championships.

In 2011, Lendrum took 13th place in the 200-yard back at the NCAA championships, his first individual points at the event. He also took 26th in the 100-yard back and 39th in the 200-yard individual medley.

To be eligible for the Pac-12 scholar-athlete of the year award, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, maintain a senior standing athletic eligibility, compete in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have at least one year of residence at the institution.

Each Pac-12 school can nominate one individual per sport, with the winner chosen by conference staff member at each sport’s season’s end.

In adding yet another honor to his trophy case, Lendrum has built up a considerable amount of momentum for himself, as well as the rest of the team, in preparation for the 2013 NCAA championships. The event is scheduled to begin on March 28 and run through March 30 in Indianapolis. USC has not won a national championship since 1977, when it won its fourth consecutive NCAA crown.