(Atlanta, Ga) Jonny Kulow, a senior at Arizona State is the recipient of the Elite Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship.
Kulow, majoring in Microbiology with a specialization in medical microbiology, carries a 4.0 GPA. Kulow was presented with the award during the 2026 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship on Thursday evening in Atlanta, Ga.
The Elite Scholar-Athlete Award embodies the student-athletes’ achievements of those who have showed excellence at a national championship level in their sport but have achieved the highest academic standard among their peers. The Elite Scholar-Athlete is proudly awarded annually to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s Championships.
The award is the third straight year a Sun Devil swimmer has won the award, joining Patrick Sammon (2024-25) and Tiago Behar (2023-24) who won the honor the last two seasons. Kulow is the third men’s swimmer to earn the honor and is Arizona State’s ninth student-athlete since 2009. Lindsay Looney earned the Elite Scholar-Athlete award in 2023-24 for women’s swimming.
Kulow helped bring a national title to Tempe in 2024, winning the 400 medley relay and the 400 free relay at NCAAs two years ago. The four-year Sun Devil is a 15-time CSCAA All-American and an eight-time Big 12 champion. Additionally, he’s a five-time Pac-12 champion, helping the Sun Devils win four consecutive conference titles.
Adding to his resumé, Kulow is a two time College Sports Communicators (CSC) All-America Team Member of the Year award winner for Division I Men’s Swim and DIve for excelling academically and in athletics. Kulow was named to the U.S. National Team for 2025-26 and competed for Team USA at the 2025 World Aquatic Championships, winning a bronze medal in the 400-meter free relay.
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken based on the number of credits completed.
For more information on the Elite Scholar-Athlete award winners, log on to https://www.ncaa.org/elitescholarathlete.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Zach Wargo
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