Mar 17, 2005 - Claremont, Calif. -

Harvey Mudd College's Andrew Cox '08 was the only freshman to win an individual championship at the 2005 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships at Hope College in Holland, Mich., March 17-19.

Cox won the 50-yard freestyle final on March 17 with a time of 20.37, setting a pool record for the Holland Community Aquatic Center. He is the first swimmer from a Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) colleges team to win the 50-yard freestyle and the 21st NCAA champion in CMS history.

A native of Bakersfield, Calif., Cox had a stellar season for CMS, being named Southern California Intercollegiate Athlete Conference (SCIAC) athlete of the week four times. He set the SCIAC and CMS records in the 50 freestyle this season with a mark of 20.22.

Cox also set the CMS record of 45.31 in the 100 freestyle this season. He finished first in the consolation final of the 100 at the NCAA meet with a time of 45.83, a time that would have been fourth in the final. His 29 points boosted the CMS team to 24th overall in the meet. His accomplishment garnered him SCIAC athlete of the week honors for March 14-20.

"Andrew had a phenomenal swim in the 50-yard freestyle final," said CMS swimming coach Charlie Griffiths. "There isn’t much margin for error in a race that takes less than 21 seconds and he was able to manage the moment and put together a fantastic race."

Griffiths also noted: "The Stags have a longstanding tradition of hanging a California flag at the pool on the final night of Nationals. The flag is signed every year by the national qualifiers and includes every Stag All-American over the past 25 years. National champions traditionally sign the star located in the upper left-hand corner and it was special for Andrew to add his name to the list of Stags who have topped the awards stand."

Cox is the fourth CMS national champion in the past five years. The last Harvey Mudd College national champion was Gary Simon in 1998, who still holds the NCAA Division III record in the 200-yard individual medley.

"Andrew was a highly sought-after swimming recruit coming out of high school," Griffiths added. "Several big-name Division I programs wanted Andrew to join their teams, but he chose Harvey Mudd for its academic programs and for the opportunity to get a world-class education along with being a member of a strong swimming program."